German mould and steel support manufacturers Bernold AG and Swiss lining specialist Ceresola Tunnelbautechnik AG merged on 1 September 2002 to create a new “centre of excellence”.
The companies see the merger as a logical extension of an already successful partnership. Talking to T&TI, Former Ceresola owner, Aldo Ceresola, said Bernold warmly greeted his suggestion of a link up. “We already had some synergy, especially in the production of steelwork,” he said. “We were both looking to how we could improve our businesses and find better solutions for our clients.”
Under the terms of the merger, Ceresola stakeholder, Herrenknecht will maintain part ownership.
“There is an increase in tunnelling worldwide, and clients prefer to have a single supplier.” Aldo Ceresola said.
Turnovers for the companies were US$13.75M for Bernold, and US$6.11M for Ceresola. Projections for the new company are believed to be “quite significant”.
Under the terms of the new partnership, Aldo Ceresola and TBM manufacturer Herrenknecht will own 30% of the shares between them, while Pecolit GmbH, Bernold’s owners, will retain 70%. Apart from Aldo Ceresola, the management board will consist of senior Bernold employees, with Heinrich Michel taking the reigns as managing director.
