Pepperl+Fuchs acquires supplier of mobile devices for hazardous areas
Pepperl+Fuchs has purchased ecom instruments of Germany, a global supplier of cell phones, 4G smartphones and tablets designed specifically for hazardous areas. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“ecom instruments pioneered mobile explosion protection products,” said Gunther Kegel, CEO of Pepperl+Fuchs in Mannheim, Germany. “Now with a 15% annual growth rate, this acquisition fits our portfolio well, and it reinforces our market position as the global leader in explosion protection technology.”
The move significantly expands Pepperl+Fuchs’ immediate product offering, and it enables the company to accelerate the rate of new developments in technology and products well into the future, Kegel added. With a well-established international sales force, Pepperl+Fuchs anticipates significant growth in this segment.
“In addition to an expanded product portfolio, we can see new opportunities arising along our entire product line. This acquisition enables us to not only strengthen our offering in the field of explosion protection, we can also achieve a much better market position and consequently generate new solutions around the multifaceted Industrie 4.0”,” added Kegel.
“The expertise in explosion protection and the wide-spread international sales force of Pepperl+Fuchs made them our favorite partner from the very beginning. Our innovative devices do not only fill a gap in their portfolio, but allow ecom instruments and Pepperl+Fuchs to develop future business models and solutions at the Center of Competence at Assamstadt to gain access to the enormous growth potential of the ongoing digitalization of industry,” stated Rolf Nied, founder and managing partner of ecom instruments GmbH.
Many of the products from ecom are rated for Zone 1/21, Division 1 hazardous areas or Zone 2/22, Division 2 areas. Additional products include PDAs, cameras and beacons. These are ideal solutions for chemical and petrochemical process automation, the pharmaceutical industry, oil and gas exploration, mining and energy and environmental technologies.
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