Sacmi acquires 60% stake in Cosmec

In July, Sacmi Imola completed its purchase of a 60% shareholding in Cosmec, a long-established, Vicenza-based company specialising in the design and manufacture of automated plants and machinery for heavy clay handling.

"For Sacmi," explained Sacmi Imola's Managing Director, Pietro Cassani, "this represents a dual opportunity, because it enhances our technical know-how relating to process automation, while at the same time improving our positioning on world markets by bringing in a substantial new customer portfolio. This will enable us to compete on an equal footing with the major players in the global heavy clay machine market, which is worth at least 450 million euros a year."

For Cosmec, joining the Sacmi Group - a global player with over 4,000 employees, 70 subsidiaries worldwide and interests in various business area - represents a new opportunity to boost its fortunes and strengthen its brand.

Founded in 1974, the company went through a difficult patch in 2011, and came under the management of a group of Vicenza-based industrialists under the terms of a rental agreement. The new management turned the company around and restored it to international success, especially on emerging markets such as Algeria, Russia and South America. As well as operating in the Far East, Sacmi Heavy Clay also achieved considerable success in these markets in 2013, by renewing its range of kilns and dryers and stepping up its focus on complete, automated solutions for handling, transfer and end-of-line operations, through Gaiotto Automation, another member of the Sacmi group.

The purchase was concluded by Gaiotto, which will now reorganise its business activities serving the heavy clay industry accordingly.