Partek acquires Dutch container crane and straddle carrier manufacturer Nelcon

Partek Corporation's subsidiary Kalmar Industries has signed an agreement to acquire NHC Holding BV, comprising the container crane and straddle carrier manufacturer Nelcon BV and the service company Groot-Hensen BV. NHC Holding BV net sales are Euro 80 million and it employs 260 people. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Headquartered in Rotterdam, Nelcon manufactures a broad range of harbour cranes with ship-to-shore container gantry cranes (SSC) and rail-mounted yard gantry cranes (RMG). In addition, Nelcon is a leader in the design of diesel-electric straddle carriers.

Kalmar said that it would now be able to offer a more comprehensive package of container handling solutions from ship-to-shore and container stacking cranes through to lift trucks and terminal tractors.

The acquisition also boosts Kalmar's servicing capability, with in-house expertise relevant to all types of container handling equipment. The company believes that the addition of Nelcon to the group will strengthen its position when bidding for maintenance contracts involving non-Kalmar equipment.

Kalmar has won several major maintenance contracts recently including a 34-machine deal in Marseille.

Furthermore, through the recent acquisition of a sales and service company, Klaus Eger GmbH, based in Bremen, Kalmar now has a substantial servicing and maintenance capability in the North German ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven. Groot-Hensen, with its Rotterdam operation, completes Kalmar's infrastructure along the North European coastline.

"Not only does Nelcon take us into new territory that we are keen to develop, it also brings to Kalmar experience in the maintenance of such process critical equipment. In offering comprehensive service packages to potential and perhaps more importantly, existing customers, this is of significant additional value," said Kalmar president and CEO Christer Granskog.

"The two companies’ product ranges constitute a very good fit as there is very little overlap. The SSC cranes fill gaps in the Kalmar range while Nelcon’s diesel-electric straddle carrier sits comfortably alongside Kalmar’s diesel-hydraulic machines.

"Kalmar can now offer customers SSC cranes and RMG cranes, in addition to rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs). In the case of straddle carriers, it is apparent that some terminal operators prefer diesel-hydraulic machines and others diesel-electric. Kalmar will be the first supplier to offer both alternatives."

Granskog continued: "We are placing great emphasis on our added value services and we see that Groot-Hensen has a major role to play in this respect. Not only is this company based in Rotterdam, one of the world’s leading ports, but it is well positioned to handle the servicing requirements of stevedores in nearby ports in the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France."

Kalmar Industries is an international manufacturer and supplier of machines and equipment for container and heavy materials handling. Main products are straddle carriers, reach stackers, mobile gantry cranes, lift trucks and terminal tractors. The net sales in 1999 were approximately Euro 540 million and the number of employees is 2900.