Acquisition of Messo Group

Process Engineering Segment strengthened

We are proud to announce that GEA has acquired Messo-Chemietechnik GmbH, which is based in Duisburg, Germany and its subsidiaries in Italy and Switzerland. The parties to the deal have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The German antitrust authorities have already approved the acquisition. Messo generated sales of €25 million in 2003 and currently employs 45 people.

The Messo Group is one of the market and technology leaders in the field of crystallization technology for the chemical, food and biotechnology industries. It is also a major manufacturer and supplier of evaporation equipment. Messo is therefore an ideal fit for the evaporation and crystallization businesses of GEA's Process Engineering Segment.

In the US, Messo will be represented by Niro Inc.’s business group, GEA Evaporation Technologies, which also handle the thermal evaporation, crystallization, distillation, and rectification products lines of GEA Wiegand, Niro, and GEA Kestner in North America.