AxFlow continues global expansion with Australia/NZ acquisition
21 Sep 2018
AxFlow, the multi-sector fluid handling and pumps company, has gained a foothold in Australia and New Zealand with the acquisition of Brown Brothers/Kelair.
The antipodean group owns 15 locations in the two countries with headquarters in Christchurch, New Zealand and is a leading distributor of positive displacement and centrifugal pumps in Oceania as a whole, buoyed by its collaboration with Xylem.
For AxFlow, the purchase marks the second stage of its drive to reach new global markets beyond its European base, following the 2016 takeover of the South African AQS in 2016.
“The acquisition gives AxFlow great opportunities for sales growth in Australia and New Zealand, as well as a strong platform for growth in Oceania,” says AxFlow CEO Ole Weiner.
Brown Brothers and Kelair Pumps CEO John Inkster will continue in his role, said Weiner, adding: “We see a very good match between the Brown Brothers and AxFlow management culture. This is crucial to our ambition to keep people with local expertise in place, while giving the acquired company the opportunities that come with being part of a larger group.”
Brown Brothers Engineers was established in 1908 in New Zealand by Alfred and Phillip Brown, originally focused on electrical engineering before diversifying into pumps after 1915.
In 1980, Brown Brothers became a member of the Mace Group of Companies, which acquired Sydney-based Kelair in 2004.
Mace Group chairman Ted Mace, said the sale would “present new opportunities for the group and its employees and be a reliable partner for our customers for many years to come”.
Founded in 1989, the AxFlow Group operates in 29 countries with 600 employees and boasts an annual turnover of €180 million.
