Planatol takes over Gämmerler AG

On December 2nd 2011 Planatol Holding GmbH based in Rohrdorf near Rosenheim has taken over parts of the insolvent Gämmerler AG, with its registered office in Gelting near Wolfratshausen. The new company is trading under the name Gämmerler GmbH with Dr. Hannspeter Schubert as Managing Director. Dr. Schubert is also the Managing Director of Planatol Holding. Thus Planatol's offering will be expanded by essential groups of products for inline-finishing purposes. 

Gämmerler is the manufacturer of postpress-equipment, such as rotary trimmers, compensating stackers and log stackers, as well as conveying-systems and palletizing-robots. Its worldwide customers are well known companies within the printing industry. In particular due to its high quality and competence Gämmerler has made its mark at the important press-manufacturers such as manroland, König & Bauer as well as Heidelberg and Kolbus.

In August the company filed for insolvency, which concerned both company sites; Gelting and also Leisnig near Leipzig with approximately 170 staff members. Mainly structural as well a liquidity problems were reported as the reason by the insolvency administrator Mr  Alexander Saponjic.  Due to a high level of orders on hand it was possible to continue business after the insolvency proceedings began.

It is the intention of Gämmerler GmbH to continue business as an independent company in the long term, maintaining its core competences in the field of printing. Both sites in Gelting and in Leisnig will be kept; engineering and design, service and sales as well as the assembly of complete installations are planned to stay in Gelting, Leisnig will be the responsible site for the manufacturing of assembly-groups and individual machines, such as the compensating stackers.  Dr. Hannspeter Schubert has informed the approx. 100 employees about the succeeded continuation. 

For many years Planatol and Gämmerler have cultivated an intense cooperation, in particular concerning the sales within the mechanical engineering division of Planatol. The Planatol System GmbH is the leading manufacturer of fold-gluing-systems for web-printing. To a very large extent the worldwide customer-basis is the same for both companies. In addition synergetic effects with regard to administration and manufacturing will result. The Gämmerler GmbH is a 100 % daughter of the Planatol Holding GmbH, thus contributing to increase the consolidated sales to more than 50 million Euro.

The successful acquisition has made Planatol  one of the most important suppliers in the field of postpress, allowing to improve its positioning in mechanical engineering as well as in the sales of adhesives. Gämmerler will show the revised range of products at the next Drupa. "Gämmerler has gone through hard times, but now with the existing know how and the new structure the company will be able to position itself on the market successfully" says Dr. Schubert.