Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
Arthur Friedrichs Kältemittel marks A-Gas’ third purchase of an overseas company over the last twelve months as it looks to build up its reclamation business
A-Gas has announced the acquisition of Germany-based company Arthur Friedrichs Kältemittel (AFK) as it looks to expand its global operations with a focus on refrigerant reclamation.
A-Gas has announced the acquisition of Germany-based company Arthur Friedrichs Kältemittel (AFK) as it looks to expand its global operations with a focus on refrigerant reclamation.
Company chief executive Andrew Ambrose said that the acquisition process and the required regulatory approvals were now complete, ensuring the company could further strengthen its position within mainland Europe.
He added, “Arthur Friedrichs Kältemittel are industry leaders in the automotive Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) sector and this will enable A-Gas to further strengthen its global presence in the latest generation refrigerant and reclamation marketplace.”
The announcement marks the third acquisition undertaken by A-Gas since it received investment from private equity group KKR during the middle of last year. All three purchases have been focused on expanding A-Gas’ refrigerant reclamation capacity.
A-Gas has over the last year obtained two reclamation specialists in the form of Netherlands-based BTC and the Diversified Pure Chem company based in the US.
The addition of AFK to the company’s portfolio will see A-Gas acquiring its two operational sites and 30 employees. Further investment is intended to be made in AFK’s operations with a focus on a new refrigerant reclamation facility and staff expansion to tackle European demand, according to A-Gas.
AFK managing director Jens Beneken said that the acquisition would see the two-companies combining their expertise to meet global challenges around refrigerant.
He said, “With A-Gas we have found a strong international partner who fulfils all the prerequisites for the realisation of the future opportunities and potential of AFK and their highly qualified workforce.”
News that A-Gas would be further expanding its capabilities around reclaiming refrigerant follows on from the recent RAC F-Gas Question time that took place earlier this month. The event focused on the impact of ongoing increases in the price of key refrigerant as a result of EU legislation that sets quotas on the amount of higher GWP gas on the market. This has made any existing stock already on the market that has been previously discarded much more valuable for the purpose of re-use.
A key message from the session was the need for contractors and end-users to work together on containing potential leaks and stepping up programmes to recycle and reclaim higher volumes of refrigerant.
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