Italian logistics specialist Coeclerici (Milan; www.coeclerici.com) has acquired a majority stake in industrial machinery manufacturer IMS Deltamatic (Calcinate, Bergamo / Italy; www.imsdeltamaticgroup.com).

IMS Deltamatic designs, develops and sells automatic industrial machinery for the converting, flexible packaging and automotive sectors. The company operates four plants – two in Italy, one in Germany and one in the US. It has an office in China and over 300 employees. Its 2015 turnover was EUR 60m, of which 90% was generated abroad.

The takeover of 67% by Coeclerici represents an investment of around EUR 19m, of which EUR 10m will be used to strengthen the company’s assets through a capital increase, aimed at supporting its future growth and further acquisitions. IMS Deltamatic’s founder Raffaele Ghilardi will hold the remaining 33% stake.

The Bergamo-based company operates in sectors that have been growing as a result of the increased use of plastic film, aluminium, paper and related compounds for the food and pharmaceutical industries as well as special applications. It also supplies the automotive components sector (platforms, trunk coverings, parcel shelves).

Paolo Clerici, Coeclerici chairman and chief executive, said: “IMS Deltamatic is a major example of Italian industrial excellence, whose value is recognised and appreciated all over the world. A front runner on a global scale, the company has a high growth potential that we intend to tap into alongside the current management, in order to identify new development opportunities.”