Japan’s Daikin Industries has confirmed the acquisition of the Austrian commercial refrigeration company AHT Cooling Systems for ¢881m (JPY114.5bn). With headquarters in Rottenmann in the Austrian Alps, AHT is one of Europe’s manufacturers of plug-in supermarket refrigerators and freezers.
Daikin will obtain all company shares from UK investment company Bridgepoint. Completion of the acquisition is planned for January 2019. AHT employs around 1600 people and achieved revenues of €481m in 2017. Daikin says the purchase of AHT will enable it to be able to “propose total systems that cover the entire cold chain. With this acquisition, Daikin is adding AHT showcases to its own wide range of products, services, and solutions based on its air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. This will enable the company to become a one-stop provider offering complete coordination of air conditioning and refrigeration products. This acquisition is also expected to solidify Daikin’s business foundation in Europe and promote full-scale expansion of its refrigeration business in the United States as well as Asia.”
