Beckers Group, a global coatings company, has reached an agreement to sell its railway coatings business to KANSAI HELIOS. The asset purchase agreement for the sale of the railway coatings business of Beckers’ company – Becker Industrie SAS, Montbrison, France, – was signed on December 9, 2022. After completion of closing conditions, KANSAI HELIOS will acquire all business assets of Becker Industrie SAS in the railway coatings segment. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023. Beckers will continue to serve its railway customers in India and China.

Beckers says the transaction is an outcome of its transformation into a focused sustainable innovation-based company. It allows Beckers to increase efficiency, and reinvest into strategic core segments and new products. As a part of this transaction, KANSAI HELIOS will establish its first subsidiary in France – KANSAI HELIOS France SAS. With this acquisition, KANSAI HELIOS says it will further strengthen its position in the railway coatings sector in Europe and worldwide. After closing the process, KANSAI HELIOS France SAS will take over the relevant employees of Becker Industrie SAS in the railway coatings business, and add further resources in order to ensure continuity of service.

“This is a strategic deal for both parties,” said Christophe Sabas, CEO Beckers Group. “The railway coatings business will become an important part of KANSAI HELIOS’ growth strategy, while Beckers will be able to put more energy and resources behind our strategic businesses and new developments. We are very pleased to sell the railway business to KANSAI HELIOS. Our committed railway coatings employees have been a much appreciated part of Becker Industrie SAS, and I wish them the best of luck in the future. We know KANSAI HELIOS well, and I am confident that joining the KANSAI HELIOS family will be good for those employees, customers, and other stakeholders.”

“For KANSAI HELIOS, the railway coatings development and production has always been of great importance, and we have achieved a strong market position in recent years – being the largest producer of railway coatings in Europe, with important brands such as Wefa, Rembrandtin, and Helios,” Dietmar Jost, executive director KANSAI HELIOS Group. “Beckers’ innovative industrial coatings – designed to protect railway vehicles products – guarantee the highest quality and environmental protection. The purchase rounds off our portfolio perfectly. This business acquisition is a further step of KANSAI HELIOS in the railway coatings segment, following our most recent asset acquisition and establishment of KANSAI HELIOS Wefa in Essen, Germany.”

”The Beckers railway coatings team is excellent, and we are delighted that they have chosen the KANSAI HELIOS team to continue to serve their valued existing and new customers, in France and around the world,” concluded Jost.

For more information, visit: www.beckers-group.com.