(2014/06/19): Ningbo China/Bad Neustadt/Amberg, Germany  Preh GmbH is acquiring IMA Automation Amberg GmbH from the Swiss company Feintool International Holding AG, Lyss (Canton of Berne). IMA Automation is a supplier of high-quality assembly systems for both smallminute parts in high clock speedslarger as well as heavy parts in lower clock speeds. The acquisition marks a further extension of the product division Preh Innovative Automation (PIA) which focuses on the development, planningconstruction of assembly systemsproduction lines, in particular for automotive suppliers. In the context of the growth strategy of the Preh Group, both the established market segments of PIAthe activities of IMA are to expandedinternationalized further. The app. 240 IMA employees will be taken over by Preh. The IMA location in Amberg will also be retained.

On 17 June 2014 the automotive group Preh GmbH closed an agreement with Feintool International Holding AG to acquire IMA Automation Amberg, which has marketed assembly systems successfully for more than 30 yearsis a technology leader in its business fields. The takeover still requires cartel authority approval. The purchase price for the sharesthe property is approximately EUR 20 million.

“We welcome IMAits employees at Preh cordiallyare convinced that IMA will continue to develop very successfully as part of our group. Together, we will write a great growth story – nationallyinternationally. The support from our Chinese partner Joyson, for example, provides optimal preconditions for PIAIMA to access the Chinese market, which displays considerable growth potential in the field of automation,” said Preh PresidentCEO Dr. Michael Roesnick.

“With the sale of IMA, Feintool is completing the focus strategy we have pursued over the past few years. We are concentrating fully on our core competency: the manufacture of high-precision series production parts by means of fine-cuttingforming as well as system solutions for fine-cutting. Preh provides IMA with access to the markets of the future, in particular in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Alexander von Witzleben, President of the Feintool supervisory board.

Within the Preh Group, the product division Preh Innovative AutomationIMA Automation will in future form the joint company Preh IMA Automation GmbH.

About IMA Amberg

IMA Amberg GmbH specializes in the designimplementation of sophisticated automation systems for both smallminute parts in high clock speedslarger as well as heavy parts in lower clock speeds. As a leading founder of the assembly automation industry, the company with about 240 employees has almost 40 years of experiencehence counts as a technology leader. The company’s prestigiouslongstanding customer base offer an excellent foundation for its modernization strategy. IMA customers operate in emerging industriesthe solar, medicalpharmaceuticals sectors as well as established industriesautomotive, electrical engineering, foodsconsumer goods.