(2014/07/31): Bad Neustadt /Amberg.The German Federal Cartel Au-thority has authorized the takeover of IMA Automation Amberg GmbH by Preh GmbH. The takeover agreement signed on 17 June 2014 with Feintool International Holding AG therefore enters into effect today. As already announced, the app. 250 IMA employees are being taken over by Preh. The IMA site in Amberg is also being retained.

The acquisition marks a strong expansion of the Preh Innovative Automation (PIA) product division. Here, Preh focuses on the de-velopment, planning  and  construction of assembly systems  and  production lines, in particular for automotive suppliers  and  com-panies in the electrical engineering sector. As of now, the supple-mentary market segments of IMA, e.g. in the solar, medical  and  pharmaceutical industries as well as the food  and  consumer goods sectors, will also be developed further jointly.

Preh GmbH CEO Dr. Michael Roesnick says: “We aim to write a successful growth story in the automation sector. To do so, we will expand  and  continue internationalizing both the traditional market segments of PIAthe activities of IMA. In particular in China, we see great potential for the product portfolio of PIAIMA because there, too, competitiveness can only be ensured in the long term by accelerated expansion of industrial automation.”

Within the Preh Group, the product divisions Preh Innovative Automa-tion  IMA Automation will be integrated for the future in the joint company Preh IMA Automation GmbH. The products will be marketed under the PIA brand.

About IMA Amberg

IMA Amberg GmbH specializes in the design  and  implementation of sophisti-cated assembly automation systems for both smallminute parts in high clock speeds as well as largerheavy parts in lower clock speeds. As a leading founder of the assembly automation industry, the company with its app. 250 employees has almost 40 years of experience  and  hence counts as a technology leader. The company’s prestigious  and  longstanding customer base offer an excellent foundation for its modernization strategy. IMA custom-ers operate in emerging industriesthe solar, medical  and  pharmaceuticals sectors as well as established industries  and  automotive, electrical engineering, foods  and  consumer goods.

About Preh / PIA

The Preh product division Preh Innovative Automation (PIA) with its app. 170 employees develops, plansbuilds flexible high-performing assembly  and  production lines, mainly for automotive suppliers. The company’s performance range extends from manual assembly workstations to fully automated produc-tion systems with integrated test technology  and  data documentation.

Preh GmbH is a subsidiary of the listed corporation Joyson Electronics, Ning-bo/China (600699:Shanghai)represents the Automotive Electronics divi-sion of the JoysonGroup. As a global automotive supplier with a tradition spanning 95 years, Preh reported sales of EUR 520 million in 2013 (+12.5°%).  With 3430 employees, the company operates branches in Germany, Portugal, Romania, Mexico, the USA  and  China. Its headquarters is located in Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale/Germany. The development  and  production capabilities of Preh focus on climate  and  driver control systems, control devices for the battery management of E-vehicles as well as assembly systems.