Bosch Rexroth set to sell pneumatics group

     On April 24 at last year’s Hannover Fair, Dr. Tragl revealed, “Bosch Rexroth optimizes its product portfolio on an ongoing basis and aligns it with the company’s strategy. Over the past years, we have acquired several companies whose technologies round out our portfolio and which tap additional growth opportunities. One example was the acquisition of Hägglunds, a specialist for high-performance drives. On the other hand, we also disinvest areas that no longer fit with our strategy that is focused on markets and industries.

     “The Pneumatics division has been successfully restructured over the past years. We realize, however, that pneumatics, as part of multitechnology solutions, exhibits only a slight degree of differentiation when it comes to our targeted factory-automation industries. At the same time, substantial differentiation and growth opportunities can be found outside the target industries on which we focus, such as medical engineering or heavy industries, or as a supplier for trucks. It, thus, makes sense to check whether there is an environment that is more suitable for pneumatics. We are currently holding negotiations with a potential buyer interested in acquiring Bosch Rexroth’s Pneumatics division.”

     Then on April 9, at this year’s Hannover Fair, Dr. Tragl reiterated these comments and revealed that the pneumatics division of Bosch Rexroth would “operate as an independent company under the umbrella of Bosch Rexroth as of June 1.”

     In a recent phone interview, Larry Foy, Bosch Rexroth marketing director, mentioned that much of the growth for pneumatics lies outside of factory automation — most notably medical devices, the rail industry, and in over-the-road trucking. The sale of the pneumatics division will provide the new business with greater opportunity to grow market share in these sectors.