The Austrian cooling technology specialist AHT Cooling Systems GmbH, headquartered in Rottenmann, Styria, announced the contractually sealed acquisition by Daikin Europe N.V., a subsidiary of Japanese Daikin Industries, Ltd. The finalisation of the acquisition is scheduled for January 2019 after completion of all necessary processes. The AHT Group has been owned by Bridgepoint Capital since November 2013.
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, Daikin is recognized as the global leader in air-conditioning technology with 70,000 employees and sales of USD 17 billion (2017) in more than 150 countries. Under the umbrella of the Daikin Group, the growth and technology company AHT will continue its successful course and, thanks to significant synergies in the product portfolio and its global presence, the company will be able to expand significantly.
With a turnover of EUR 481 million, AHT is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial plug-in refrigeration and freezing systems and has been supplying all major supermarket and discount chains as well as ice cream and beverage manufacturers for more than 35 years with an innovative and ecologically beneficial product range.
The globally operating AHT Group employs more than 1,800 people and operates four production branches in Austria, China, Brazil and the USA, twelve sales and service branches and its own business unit for R&D and innovation.
AHT Cooling Systems has started operating a new large warehouse at the Rottenmann site. It has a total area of around 16.000 m² and is equipped with state-of-the-art logistics management systems. It also has its own rail siding, which enables CO2-neutral delivery of products directly to the next overseas port, without using with trucks and without multiple reloading.
The AHT Group was thus taking another important step towards a sustainable future, in line with the company motto “Green Freshness Worldwide”, reads a press release. The company loads more than 100 tarpaulin trailer trucks with finished goods in Rottenmann, and handles an ocean freight volume of about 11,500 TEU per year.
