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[January 2009]
Joint Venture Between Semmelrock and Ebenseer in Austria
Semmelrock International, a 75% subsidiary of Wienerberger AG, and Zementwerk LEUBE GmbH announced on 16 December the planned merger of its Austrian subsidiaries Semmelrock Baustoffindustrie GmbH and the Ebenseer Group, into a joint venture.
Semmelrock International GmbH will hold 62.5% and Zementwerk LEUBE GmbH 37.5% of the shares in the newly founded Semmelrock Ebenseer Baustoffindustrie GmbH & Co KG. This transaction is not connected with any settlement payments for the relevant stakes. The current management of Semmelrock Austria will be responsible for the direction of the joint venture, while both partners will bring their extensive market and product know-how into the new company. The resulting geographical expansion of the plant network and sales structure will also support the further development of the company's position in the Austrian market.
Johann Windisch, responsible member of the Managing Board of Wienerberger AG, and Rudolf Zrost, Managing Director of Zementwerke LEUBE GmbH, explained the reasons for combining these business activities: "We are looking forward to this future partnership, which will be based on the long-standing and successful history of both companies on the Austrian market. The strategic goal of this venture is to bundle the available expertise and improve our competitive position through the utilisation of synergies in all areas, and thereby strengthen the new company's earning power."
Semmelrock Austria, a specialist for high-quality concrete pavers, currently operates two plants in Klagenfurt (Carynthia) and Vorchdorf (Upper Austria) as well as one location in Leopoldsdorf near Vienna, which will serve as a warehouse in the future. Ebenseer, which concentrates on standard items and products for building materials markets, has three plants, which are located in St Martin (Upper Austria), Reidling (Lower Austria) and Gerasdorf (Vienna) as well as one location in Knittelfeld (Styria), which will also be used as a warehouse in the future. The combined production capacity of all plants is more than 4.7 million m².
"The merger of two established brands like Semmelrock and Ebenseer represents an important step in the right direction. The product lines and plant networks of our companies complement each other and will create a solid basis for the future development of the joint venture,” commented Robert Holzer, Managing Director of Semmelrock International. “In addition, the optimisation of central corporate functions such as sales, distribution and logistics will make it possible to provide our customers with even better service. I am also convinced that we will be able to realise substantial synergies through the international know-how of Semmelrock International and the expertise of both management teams".
"This is the start of a new era for Ebenseer. We are taking this step because we are convinced it will allow us to provide better products and service for our customers. For our employees, this step means we will be able to secure and expand three locations. With Semmelrock we are gaining a partner, with whom we can continue to grow in Austria and also increase our exports," said Walter Pacher, Managing Director of Ebenseer.
The founding of the joint venture is conditional on the approval of the cartel authorities.
www.semmelrock.com
www.leube.at
www.ebenseer.at
ENDS