The Austrian Baumit group (turnover of almost 1.5 billion euros, 4,500 employees) has benefited from the construction boom over the past two years. Acquisitions, however, were difficult as face-to-face negotiations were barely possible during the pandemic. But now a major acquisition has been made in the important German market.
To the “Dr. Arnold Schäfer GmbH” owned four dry building materials factories under the Sakret brand and a paint factory (“Diessner”) in Berlin. In total, this will generate 100 million euros in turnover. “In Germany we will reach 400 this year. million euros, that will be our biggest market, for Austria,” says Gerald Prinzhorn, head of the Baumit holding. The trading volume in our neighboring country will even double compared to 2019.
Baumit now nationally represented
Sakret is an international brand, Schäfer GmbH was one of the licensees in Germany. Because the four plants that produce dry mortar for the construction and hardware stores are geographically in the middle, Baumit has been able to fill a gap and is now represented nationwide with 14 production locations. Prinzhorn: “In our industry, we usually only deliver within a radius of 200 kilometres.”
Active in 25 countries
Globally, the manufacturer of building materials is Baumit (plaster, screed, etc.), which essentially belongs to the family of industrialist Robert Schmid (“Wopfinger”), active in 25 countries in Europe. The foreign expansion originally started in Eastern Europe. There is also a factory each in Ukraine and in Russia, and it is currently not possible to work there.
Group wants to keep growing – but in Europe
There are still “white spots” on the Baumit map in Scandinavia (Prinzhorn: “They have different construction methods”). In Britain, a potential purchase failed due to Covid restrictions. In principle, the group wants to continue to grow, but is limited to Europe (including Turkey). Prinzhorn: “We’ve already tried it in China and learned our lessons.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
