Brammer
Brammer: Across Europe 2007-2008
On the 1st January 2007, all the work done on building the brand of Brammer culminated in all of the businesses being united under one name. Brammer was now one business across Europe looking to deliver the best service to its customers wherever they were in Europe.
On 9 February 2007, Brammer announced a major acquisition by entering into a new country and acquiring 51% of the business of the Fin S.A. group, one of the leading Polish specialist industrial services businesses providing critical industrial components, bearings and related power transmission products with 11 branches across Poland and 165 employees.
The acquisition of Fin was consistent with Brammer’s stated strategy and gave the company a leading market position in Poland in the provision of bearings, power transmission, and fluid power products. Poland, being one of the key growing industrial economies of Eastern Europe, was an excellent market form Brammer to move into.
In early March 2007 Brammer set up an operation in Iceland as the UK sent a full time team of seven people to start up an Insite operation within one of it’s customers on the east coast. The team’s objective was to provide significant industry knowledge and business experience and play a key part in strengthening and developing the relationship between the two organisations.
On 21st March 2007, Brammer announced another new country would be joining the Group. Rotate Ltd, a long established bearing and mechanical power transmission distributor based in Dublin, Ireland, with 12 people and a turnover of 2 million €. Through Rotate Brammer gained access to business opportunities in a country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
On 6 July 2007, Brammer’s presence in Spain was increased further with the acquisition of Boada Industrial S.A. a leading Catalonian specialist industrial services businesses, provided critical industrial components, bearings and related power transmission products through 4 branches and 53 people. The acquisition of Boada gave Brammer the leading market position in Catalonia in the provision of bearings, power transmission, and lubricants.
Two further companies joined Brammer in the same year: on 13 June 2007, ZPV group s.r.o., an established bearings and mechanical power transmission business joined to increase Brammer’s presence in the Czech Republic.
While on 19 June 2007, Brammer also completed the acquisition of Mercia Engineering Supplies Limited, an established UK based bearings and mechanical power transmission business.
On 14 December 2007, Brammer reinforced it’s position in France with the acquisition of Centre Roulement. Based in Clermont-Ferrand, Centre Roulement was the leader of the MRO market in the Auvergne region. The company employed 12 people and achieved a turnover of 4.5 million Euros. The product offer perfectly matched Brammer’s: bearings, linear motion, MPT, seals and pneumatics.
2008 continued to be a very busy year for Brammer in the acquisition department. Firstly, Walser joined Brammer in Austria on 1 April, based in Weiler/Vorarlberg with a quarter of a million € annual MRO sales. It gave Brammer the opportunity to grow sales with customers in the most Western part of the country from a local point of sales.
On 28 March 2008, Brammer announced that Handelsonderneming Otten B.V. was to join Brammer in the Netherlands. The business, located in Breda, generated sales in 2007 of € 1.1 million and had 6 employees. This acquisition fitted Brammer’s strategy of acquiring quality companies to complement the organic growth opportunities in our Dutch business.
On 2 April, 2008, Brammer confirmed the acquisition of CBS Rotary Power Motion Ltd, a highly successful UK MRO distribution business based in the Midlands and South Wales. CBS was a specialist MRO distributor whose product portfolio very closely matched the Brammer range. Operating from six locations throughout the Midlands and South Wales, CBS revenues in 2007 were £7.2 million, employing 52 people.
CBS built an enviable reputation for providing excellent customer service over 30 years under two generations of family ownership. Founded in 1978 the business has expanded rapidly, increasing its geographic footprint and achieving excellent levels of profitability.
Brammer’s strategy of growth continued at a pace in the first half of 2008. On 15 May 2008, Tecnoforniture Srl in Italy joined the Group. Tecnoforniture, one of the leading regional Italian specialist industrial services businesses with 32 people, provided critical industrial components, bearings and related power transmission products.
The acquisition of Tecnoforniture was consistent with Brammer’s stated strategy and reinforced their position in Europe, enhancing the key account offering to pan-European customers. 
The number of countries soon increased to 16 with Brammer announcing a 25% participation in CN Industrial Group srl, Bucharest, on the 18th June 2008. CN Industrial group was founded in 1998 and renamed CN Industrial Group srl in 2001. Since its foundation, CN has established a strong reputation in the market based on quality and technical competenceis with 20 people working in 5 branches in the biggest cities in Romania. The new location offered Brammer the possibility to serve pan-European Key Account Customers in one of the fastest growing industrial markets in Europe.
The European expansion which had been started in 1991 meant that by 2008 Brammer had over 2,500 people working in over 300 locations in 16 countries, a far cry from the four people in one office in Harry’s Brammer of the 1920s.
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