Effective February 27, 2013 Passavant-Geiger GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bilfinger SE, acquired Johnson Screens, a global leader in screening products for mining and quarrying, water infrastructure, wastewater treatment, hydrocarbon processing and general filtration. The statement said: “Combining the competencies and resources of these two companies, each of which has a long and storied tradition, will create a global leader for components and services for nearly all areas of water and wastewater technologies. Passavant-Geiger GmbH and Johnson Screens Inc will form the Bilfinger Water Technologies Group under which the large number of companies can unite, complement one another and present their individual features to the market.”
In mining, Johnson’s business includes fully owned JohnsonScreenex in Alberton, South Africa, which describes its screens as “proving their value every day in processing coal, gold, iron-ore, phosphate, copper, bauxite, gravel and many more mineral ores.” Its range includes industrial screens in stainless steel, polyurethane, rubber or high-carbon wire; used in particle separation, reducing, sizing, washing or dewatering processes. The management of Johnson Screens has welcomed the merger and will continue to be part of the future management of the Bilfinger Water Technologies Group. Diemme Filtration, also well known to the mining and minerals sector, is already part of Passavant-Geiger.
Johnson Screens was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in New Brighton, Minnesota, USA, generates with about 1,200 employees an output volume of approximately €160 million. The company manufactures mechanical components for the separation of solids from liquids and gases and also offers related services from eleven locations around the world. With locations in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia Pacific and Australia, the new group has a strong global footprint. This creates new sales opportunities for its established brands, such as Passavant, Johnson Screens, Geiger, Airvac, Diemme, Roediger, Noggerath and Screenex.