Sepro expands automation capacity

Sepro Group acquires a majority stake in Automation System Specialist, Garbe Automatisme

By acquiring a majority stake in the Garbe Automatisme, Sepro Group (La Roche sur Yon, France) is cementing its position as a leading global supplier of automation solutions for plastics injection molders. The transaction was completed at the end of July. Both companies are privately held, and financial terms were not disclosed.

Sepro is one of the largest suppliers of automation solutions for injection-molding machines in the world and maintains “automation hubs” France, Germany, the USA and China. The acquisition of Garbe and its 900 m² operation will double automation capacity in France and increase Sepro’s global capacity by 20% to support molders seeking to increase productivity and profitability while contending with a continuing shortage of skilled workers.

“This acquisition energizes our Group”, says Eric Radat, President of Sepro Group. “It confirms our commitment to supporting our customers with intelligent, highly efficient automation solutions.” Located in Izernore in the “Plastics Valley” near Oyonnax in eastern France, Garbe Automatisme engineers complex, multi-step automation systems for injection molders who serve the automotive, medical, packaging, household-appliance and other industries. They have successfully integrated 3-, 5- and 6-axis robots into manufacturing cells that require not only part removal, but pre-mold and post-mold operations like insert loading, component assembly, marking, inspection, conveying, palletizing and more. “Our customers need more than ever to accelerate their transformation and automate their production lines to increase productivity, and we are seeing a steady increase in demand for increasingly sophisticated automation applications,” explains Charles de Forges, CEO of Sepro Group. “Dominique Garbe and the Garbe Automatisme teams share our ambition to make automation ever more accessible to customers around the world. Our association was an easy decision and we are happy that they trusted us.” Dominique Garbe, who founded Garbe in 1997, will continue to lead the company, which will retain a high degree of autonomy within Sepro Group.

"Given the continuing growth of Garbe Automatisme and the need to expand our production capacity, it was essential that we take this opportunity,” Dominique Garbe, founder of Garbe Automatisme, comments. “In the context of increasing demand for automated lines equipped with more and more robots, it seemed obvious to us that Sepro Group could be the ideal partner to offer global reach and enhance our 25 years of experience in automation. Pooling our experience and skills, we should be able to offer efficient and innovative solutions for our customers who are always looking for the best." “Furthermore,” underlines Bertrand Humel van der Lee, Managing Director of Sepro Group in Europe, “Garbe Automatisme's cutting-edge technologies in the key area of technical grippers and end-of-arm tooling are excellent complements to our skills in automation”.