Global rock-bolting leader Minova has completed two more major strategic acquisitions in Europe as it moves further towards its goal of providing a complete single access point for mining and tunnelling consumables. The two companies joining Minova are Poland-based Arnall, a leading manufacturer of steel bolts, cable bolts and accessories, and Berg- und Industrietechnik GmbH (BWZ), a steel bolt manufacturer from Bottrop in Germany.
The acquisitions confirm and strengthen Minova’s position as the largest supplier of rock bolts in Europe. Operating from a single site in Golce, Arnall is ISO9001 rated and employs more than 100 people in the development and manufacture of a comprehensive range of products to meet the exacting demands of the international mining and tunnelling industries. It is one of the largest manufacturers of strata control products in Poland, with a reputation for both innovation and quality, and is an established supplier to KGHM, the world’s largest copper and silver producer, also in Poland, as well as being a major exporter to both Spain and the UK.
BWZ employs 20 people in the manufacture of steel bolts annually at its Bottrop facility, which is located close to the Minova CarboTech offices in Essen from where it will be managed. It is a major supplier of steel bolts to DSK which is also a major customer of Minova for resin capsules. BWZ’s position as a leading supplier of GEWI bars, which are increasingly being specified in demanding rock bolting applications such as tunnelling and deep underground coal extraction, further strengthens Minova’s product portfolio.
These acquisitions follow the addition of the other leading European consumables suppliers – France-based Cocentall, a specialist in the production of steel bolts, expanding bolts and plates, and Geobolt, a Czech-based manufacturer of friction bolts – into the Minova organisation.
Other acquisitions made globally by Minova recently include Excel, a major US-based manufacturer of speciality rock bolts and strata support accessories, and Strata Control Systems, an Australian-based market leader in the design, manufacture and supply of steel strata support consumables for underground tunnelling and hard rock mining.
Minova CEO Michael Reich commented: “These acquisitions confirm our commitment to our customers in Europe through the provision of a complete mining consumables offering. In all three of our global business regions, we are committed to becoming the premier partner to mining and tunnelling operations, through providing a complete range of products backed by unrivalled customer service.
“This was recently further demonstrated by the global co-operation agreement Minova has signed in the field of ground control and geotechnics for the mining, tunnelling and civil engineering markets with Atlas Copco, a world leader in the supply of rock drilling tools, demolition tools, drill rigs, compressors and generators.
“The acquisition of the Cocentall and Geobolt businesses was the platform which took Minova, in all the regions within which it currently operates, from a chemical business to a chemical and steel business. This change, which has significantly enhanced Minova’s product offering, has also been relatively rapid with the acquisitions of Excel, Strata Control, BWZ and Arnall all in quick succession.”
