Lemken has reached an agreement to acquire South African company Equalizer, which manufactures seed drills in widths of up to 24m and precision planters up to 36 rows.
Equalizer, which is also a family business, was founded in Cape Town in 2000 and currently employs 180 people. The company serves not only its South African home market, where it is the market leader in precision seeding, but also Australia as its most important export market.
Lemken CEO Anthony van der Ley believes that the Equalizer portfolio perfectly complements the Lemken seed drill segment and constitutes an important building block for further growth.
“There is no overlap in our portfolios,” he comments. “Equalizer offers solutions for customers and markets that Lemken has not been able to serve so far. In terms of our growth strategy, the Equalizer planters and seeders – also in combination with air carts – close a current gap in our product range.”
Lemken CEO Anthony van der Ley, with owner Nicola Lemken and Equalizer managing director Gideon Schreuder.
The acquisition is expected to be completed by the spring, and the two companies are keen to expand the South African site. The first definite project is the extensive expansion of spare parts logistics in 2023.
All of Equalizer’s local staff will be retained. So too will the brand name and the company will continue to be led as an independent subsidiary by its current management.
“We see great potential for new products with Lemken on our side, and we look forward to our future collaboration,” says Gideon Schreuder, Equalizer’s founder and managing director.
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