WEILBURGER Graphics GmbH will become the European blister coating production partner of Royal DSM by the end of 2019, using its new water-based coatings plant in Gerhardshofen, Germany. DSM's SOLUCOTE products will be distributed under WEILBURGER's SENOLITH WB BLISTER COATING line.

Quadpack acquired Louvrette, a German injection-moulding maker of skincare packaging jars, adding 8,500 m2 of manufacturing facilities and 40 injection-moulding lines. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Moog and Voith Group are negotiating a joint venture based in Rutesheim, Germany, to expand hydrostatic servo-hydraulics business in industrial markets, pending approvals.

BITZER has begun producing condensers at its Rottenburg-Hailfingen, Germany factory, which it set up after acquiring Alfa Laval's shell and tube evaporator and condenser portfolio in 2018. The first new condenser was made in July 2019 and shipped to a customer, with production moved from Alonte, Italy.

The Timken Company agreed to acquire BEKA Lubrication, a Pegnitz, Germany-based supplier of automatic lubrication systems, for approximately $165 million. BEKA's 2019 sales are expected to be around $135 million, and the deal is subject to German regulatory review.

Panther Display has put into operation an additional building of about 11,000 sqm at the Wustermark packaging park to co-pack packaging and displays, and has added a new litho-laminating printing machine.

Germany's Panther Packaging Group is implementing a new investment package, including new die-cutters, a jumbo inliner, intralogistics renewal and land purchases in Tornesch, to double production and storage capacity in 2020.

ITT completed its acquisition of Rheinhütte Pumpen, which is headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany and makes centrifugal and axial flow pumps for aggressive media in chemical, mining, renewable energy and refinery processes. The deal was reported in the Q2 2019 pump M&A review.

The Panther Packaging Group, based in Tornesch near Hamburg, launched an investment programme worth over 60 million euros covering new machinery, land purchases to double production and storage capacity, and energy-efficiency measures. Projects include new die-cutters, a new offset press and a 11,000 m² co-packing hall in Wustermark.

DBAG Fund VII, advised by Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, will acquire the majority of Cartonplast Group from Stirling Square Capital Partners in a management buy-out. Closing is subject to antitrust approval and is not expected before October 2019.

Progroup AG plans a new corrugated sheetboard plant in Eisfeld, Thuringia, with investment of about 60 million euros on a roughly 87,000 square metre plot, creating more than 50 jobs. Production is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2019.

OLBRICH GmbH has acquired the remaining shares of Polytype Converting from Jagenberg AG, now owning 100% of Polytype Converting GmbH in Hamburg and Polytype Converting AG in Fribourg. The move integrates the unit fully into the OLBRICH Group.

Deutsche Beteiligungs AG acquired reusable plastic layer pad maker Cartonplast, headquartered in Dietzenbach, from financial investor Stirling Square Capital Partners, with management participating under the new ownership.

Deutsche Beteiligungs AG will co-invest about EUR 26 million alongside DBAG Fund VII, which takes a majority stake in Cartonplast Group GmbH from Stirling Square Capital Partners in a management buy-out. Closing is not expected before October 2019.

Progroup AG held a topping out ceremony for its new paper factory in Sandersdorf-Brehna, Saxony-Anhalt, with €465 million of investment and an annual capacity of 750,000 tons. About 150 direct and up to 350 indirect jobs are being created.

Funds advised by Triton agreed to acquire a stake in All4Labels, a Hamburg-based label manufacturer, with the minority shareholder Genui Partners selling its shares. Financial terms were not disclosed.

German C-parts supplier CGOODS in Borgholzhausen has invested in a KOLBUS AutoBox corrugated cardboard system to produce packaging blanks in-house on demand.

Rengo announced that its subsidiary Tri-Wall Limited will acquire Germany-based TRICOR Packaging and Logistics AG, a heavy-duty corrugated packaging producer. Completion was expected before the end of August 2019.

Rheinmetall Automotive unit Pierburg of Neuss won a first major European order for a 2/2 coolant valve from a premium German carmaker, worth around EUR 50 million. Valves will be installed in vehicles from 2021, for both combustion and battery-electric models.

Progroup AG and packaging maker K2 Verpackungen are jointly investing around EUR 17 million to expand and modernise their adjacent plants in Offenbach an der Queich, Germany. Progroup is building a transport bridge and expanding its high-bay warehouse, while K2 adds an automated production line.

Rheinmetall unit Pierburg GmbH has developed a 2/2 coolant valve usable in both combustion-engine and battery-electric vehicles, according to a 15 July 2019 press release.

Pierburg GmbH, part of Rheinmetall Automotive, won a first major European order worth around €50 million from a premium German carmaker for a 2/2 coolant valve. Series production for the customer's vehicles starts in 2021.

Ludwig Paletten GmbH enlarged its second site in Baden-Baden Steinbach from 10,000 to 20,500 square metres, adding a production hall, office and storage halls for a total investment of just over EUR 4 million. Occupancy is planned for early 2020.

From July 1, 2019, Kaeser Kompressoren SE of Coburg, Germany, sells the magnetic-bearing turbo compressors made by PillAerator GmbH in Moringen, taking over the operative business of the subsidiary of Piller Blowers & Compressors.

KUKA supplied and configured six KR QUANTEC robots for Tricor Packaging & Logistics' corrugated board production in Bad Wörishofen, Germany, after KUKA Customer Service stepped in to complete a stalled robot system.

Auer Packaging is building a third production hall of about 3,000 m² at its Amerang headquarters, due for completion in December 2019, to house eight new injection molding machines from February 2020.

Special machinery maker VWH GmbH held the ground-breaking for a new production center in the Westerwald region of Germany, adding 3,000 square metres of production space by February 2020 with a new plastics technology centre.

Packaging maker ALPLA invested 13 million euro in ultra-modern packaging manufacturing in Werner & Mertz's new Mainz production center, making recycled-plastic bottles on site.

Werner & Mertz invested 30 million euro in a new production building in Mainz's Rheinallee, its largest investment to date. One production line valued at 4.5 million euro is already running, and Frosch production can be doubled in the final stage.

Noreva GmbH is constructing a new 1,100 square metre production hall at its Mönchengladbach headquarters for high-performance plastic parts, investing about €4 million, with construction starting in Q2 2024.

Mondi Corrugated Packaging is investing about €30 million at its Ansbach facility in Southern Germany, including a new corrugator due for completion in 2020, to expand Heavy Duty corrugated production.

The Flacks Group, a US private investment group, has bought submersible pump maker Pleuger Industries from Flowserve, returning the Hamburg, Germany company to independence. Pleuger employs more than 200 people and plans further locations in the USA and Russia.

Atlas Copco has acquired Bold & Cichos GbR, a compressor distributor based in Waldfischbach-Burgalben, Germany, with about 15 employees. The company also offers service and engineers air package container solutions. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Mondi Corrugated Packaging announced a €30m investment at its Ansbach facility in Germany, including a high-tech corrugator due for completion in 2020 to increase capacity and broaden heavy duty corrugated products.

Mondi Corrugated Packaging will invest €30 million in its Ansbach plant in southern Germany, including a new corrugator scheduled for completion in 2020. The investment will raise the plant's annual capacity by a double-digit percentage.

ITT Inc has completed its acquisition of the Rheinhütte Pumpen Group, a German pump maker. The deal was previously reported in February 2019.

Evoguard GmbH, a Krones subsidiary, broke ground on an expansion of its Nittenau plant to add about 2,000 m2 of production hall and office space for pumps and valves. Completion is planned for October 2019.

Valmet will supply a containerboard making line (PM 5) with mill-wide automation and services for Papierfabrik Palm's Aalen-Neukochen mill in Germany, with start-up scheduled for 2021; the order value was not disclosed.

French plumbing manufacturer SFA Group, parent of Saniflo, acquired Zehnder Pumpen GmbH, a German pump maker based in Grünhain-Beierfeld, Saxony. The acquisition is effective from 1 January 2019 and Zehnder will remain a separate legal entity.

Weber Maschinenbau is investing a seven-figure sum in a new assembly hall of about 2,300 m² and a two-storey office building at its Breidenbach site. Completion of the assembly hall is planned for September 2019 and the office building for January 2020.

Italian manufacturer Safim, a portfolio company of Ambienta, completed the acquisition of OMNI Hydraulik Ritter GmbH, a German distributor of hydraulic valves and brake pumps for off-highway vehicles. The deal was announced on 28 February 2019.

Aliaxis signed an agreement to divest pump maker Rheinhütte Pumpen to ITT Inc. for a cash consideration of about €80.5 million. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019, subject to regulatory approvals.

Zwick Armaturen GmbH increased its capacity by adding 2,500 square meters to its approximately 20,000 square meter headquarters and main production site in Ennepetal, Germany.

French sanitary manufacturer SFA acquired Zehnder Pumpen GmbH of Grünhain, Saxony, which will become a wholly-owned subsidiary and keep its own brand. Dentons advised SFA on the deal, which was reported on 29 January 2019.

Kaeser Kompressoren is building a 2,300 square metre extension in Gera for refrigerant dryer production, with a total investment of about nine million euros; production could start in June 2019 after topping out on January 20, 2019.

Auer Packaging added a new management tier from January 2019 with four members responsible for finance, sales, administration and training, and production.

Auer Packaging is constructing a new warehouse adding 6,300 m2 of usable storage space at its Amerang site, at an investment of about 7 million euros.

Auer Packaging secured its largest single order in company history from Volkswagen, worth 5.5 million euros, now supplying the entire VW Group with all its European plants.

Koenig & Bauer and Durst signed a letter of intent for a 50/50 joint venture in Germany to develop and make water-based digital single-pass presses for folding carton and corrugated printing. Manufacturing of the VariJET press is to start in time for Drupa 2020, subject to merger control approval.

INVENT Umwelt- und Verfahrenstechnik took over the Erzhausen-based company Geppert Rührtechnik GmbH and founded INVENT Industrial Mixing Systems GmbH, expanding its portfolio into industrial mixing products. The deal was reported in 2016.