LB Group acquires Barcom

Following the acquisition of environmental technology specialist Barcom, the LB Group aims to reach a consolidated revenue of €60 million this year.

LB Officine Meccaniche, a market leader in the design and manufacture of plant and machinery for the treatment of slurries and powders for a wide range of industrial applications, has acquired a majority shareholding in Barcom, a company specialising in environmental technologies for air, fume and water treatment and dust filtration.

The acquisition is part of the Fiorano-based LB Group’s strategy of expanding its range of products and services and reinforcing its strategic position in the circular economy and sustainability segments as well as its role as an integrated partner in powder treatment for the ceramic and other sectors. 

“We are proud to welcome such a well-known company as Barcom into our Group, marking an important step forward in our strategy of strengthening our technological offering,” says Corrado Fanti, CEO of the LB Group.

Founded in 1986 in Castellarano (Reggio Emilia) by Enrico Baroni, Barcom has 20 employees and posted revenues of around €7 million in 2021.

“Barcom’s entry into the LB Group will unlock enormous potential. Our technical and design skills combined with LB’s commercial platform will bring exciting results in terms of technological and commercial cross-selling,” says Baroni, who will stay on as Barcom’s CEO and will retain a stake in the company.

The LB Group employs 134 people and with this acquisition aims to exceed a consolidated revenue of €60 million following the €45 million posted in 2021, a 50% increase on 2020.

Astraco, the independent advisory firm that manages private equity investments and has owned LB since April 2019, sees the acquisition as a further step in the organic growth and acquisition strategy it has been working on for the past three years. The processes of generational handover and extensive corporate and managerial reorganisation have already been successfully completed with the appointment of Corrado Fanti as CEO, the restructuring of the administration, finance and control department, the strengthening of the commercial department and the creation of the plant technical department.

On a corporate level, the LB Group has acquired Sitec (micronising mills and industrial conveying systems) and the AST4 business unit (software and industrial automation). More recently, the Astraco group of investors also completed the acquisition of the minority stakes, thereby becoming the group’s sole shareholder.