Balzers, Liechtenstein, 8 October 2018 – Oerlikon, a leading provider of surface solutions, has signed and closed a targeted acquisition in Germany to expand its plasma nitriding service offering for customers and to strengthen its position in the automotive market.
Proud team of Oerlikon Balzers Business Unit Automotive: Fabian Hoffmann (Global Head of Automotive Nitriding), Avrath Chadha (Head of ThinFilm Automotive), Gunnar Praetorius (Head of Controlling), Michael Laakmann (Project Manager), Klaus Schwebel (Global HR), Marco Freidl (Senior Project Manager M&A), Corinna Heinz (Marketing Communications Manager).
Oerlikon Balzers acquired Peter Eicker KG in Germany.
Härterei Dipl.- Ing. Peter Eicker KG (Eicker), a specialised heat treatment supplier for the automotive industry, will now operate under the Oerlikon Balzers brand.
Eicker is well established in the German automotive market applying its state-of-the-art heat treatment technology to components such as double clutch systems and synchroniser rings for automotive customers. The acquisition enlarges Oerlikon Balzers’ footprint, particularly in the west of Germany and enables a closer proximity to its customers. It also provides Oerlikon Balzers the potential to expand its capacity to meet increasing demands for surface treatment services in this region. Furthermore, the acquisition deepens Oerlikon Balzers’ know-how in plasma nitriding, facilitating greater expertise, both in terms of technology and processes, for customers.
“The plasma nitriding technologies from Eicker complement our current portfolio and will enable us to provide our customers a broader and more complete offering of plasma nitriding and heat treatment services,” said Jochen Weyandt, Head of Oerlikon Business Unit Automotive Solutions. “This acquisition will serve to further strengthen our relationships with key customers.”
Plasma nitriding is a thermochemical heat treatment process used for increasing the reliability and wear resistance of mechanically stressed metal parts. The process improves the fatigue strength and corrosion resistance of materials by increasing the surface hardness.
