05.04.2004

Atlas Copco acquires Spanish rental company

Atlas Copco SAE Holding, based in Stockholm, Sweden, has signed an agreeement for the purchase of Guimera SA, the Spain-based industrial rental company, for an undisclosed sum. The deal includes Guimera's subsidiary SAMM SL, also in Spain.

Guimera SA operates a head office in Barcelona and seven depots, five of which are in Catalonia. A major part of Guimera’s business is generator rental for power generation in the industrial and events markets, as well as the rental of temperature control units, welding equipment, air compressors and a small amount of construction equipment. Guimera also owns the specialty rental company, SAMM SL, whihc is located in Tarragona and serves the petrochemical industry from two depots.

"Guimera will provide a strong platform in power generation for Atlas Copco's accelerated growth in Spain and southern Europe," said Oscar Duprix, president of Atlas Copco's Portable Air division. "It offers a total solution for temporary energy needs (air and electrical power) to target markets, and will complement Atlas Copco's strong position in industrial rental services in the rest of Europe."

Guimera will operate as part of the Portable Air division within Atlas Copco’s Compressor Technique business area. Previous rental company acquisitions in this division include Abird in The Netherlands and Rand-Air in South Africa in 1999.

Guimera was largely owned by Jose Marie Pujol, who also owns the franchise for HSS in Spain, which although operated as a separate business, has in the past shared locations in some areas. The HSS franchise is not included in Atlas Copco's purchase of Guimera, in fact one of the aims of the Guimera sale is to allow Jean Marie Pujol the possibility to step up the expansion of the HSS franchise in Spain with the intention to increase the number of outlets to 50 within the next ten years.