12.06.2023
After careful consideration, the owner families have decided to merge the Hunkeler Group with the Müller Martini Group. Müller Martini Holding AG has acquired all of the shares of the Hunkeler Group. With this transaction, the Hunkeler family and Crédit Mutuel Equity have sold off all of their shares to Müller Martini. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Hunkeler AG and Müller Martini AG are both global market leaders with innovative solutions for post-print paper processing. Both companies focus a significant part of their innovative strength on the economical production of individualized print products within an automated smart factory.
Hunkeler and Müller Martini have been very close for many years. The long and successful history began during the 2nd World War, when Hans Müller worked for Hunkeler as a mechanical engineer before setting up his own business in 1946 by establishing the company Hans Müller / Grapha. These good relations have been maintained for decades. The local proximity in the Zofingen region of Switzerland and the already existing and successful partnership in the machine and component business form an ideal starting point for even closer cooperation in the future.
By joining forces, both companies see great opportunities to bundle their innovation activities and to serve our global customer base even better in the future through joint sales and service activities. The two owner families have therefore decided on this strategic transaction that led to the acquisition of Hunkeler AG by Müller Martini AG.
Bruno Müller: “The graphic arts industry is constantly changing and regularly calls for new innovations. By combining the key components of the two companies, such as personnel, expertise and technology, we will be able to serve our global clientele even better with innovative solutions in the future.”
Stefan and Michel Hunkeler: “There is a long-standing partnership between Hunkeler and Müller Martini and a regular exchange. The opportunity for the merger is currently greatly beneficial for both partners and our joint customers, as it will result in considerable advantages in a combined enterprise. This is also a strong commitment for the Zofingen region.”
The following key points are intended to answer the most important questions and serve as a guide for day-to-day business in the coming weeks.
The management of Hunkeler AG under the leadership of Daniel Erni will remain responsible for day-to-day business. The name Hunkeler, the Hunkeler products and services as well as the Hunkeler Innovationdays will remain unchanged. The Hunkeler location in Wikon and its employees will be retained. The current day-to-day business continues unchanged. Adjustments will be worked out together and implemented in a controlled manner. International business will continue as normal via the current channels until further notice. We intend to continue business with other finishing companies that currently partner with Hunkeler. We will of course comply with all existing contractual obligations. In the coming days, we will launch an integration project in which the merger of the two companies will be worked out together. Findings and measures will be communicated regularly and managed by a steering committee.
We are firmly convinced that print products have a promising future. Our expanded solutions portfolio as well as our even greater consultancy expertise resulting from the merger of these two great companies will better position us to address the opportunities and benefits of the ongoing digital transformation in the market. As a result, we are an even stronger partner for end-to-end finishing solutions, particularly in the growth segment of short run book production.
