Kaba, DORMA Merger Announced
Two of the largest global solutions providers in the access control and door hardware market announced plans to merge, forming one of the top three companies in the access products category. Once the merger is approved in mid-May of this year, Swiss-based Kaba and Germany’s DORMA Holding will become the DORMA +kaba group. A corresponding transaction agreement was signed April 29.
“The combination of the two strong brands DORMA and Kaba will result in the creation of a leading company in our industry. The anchor shareholders will ensure long-term orientation, which represents another true competitive advantage in our dynamic sector,” says Ulrich Graf, Chairman of Kaba. “This merger will allow our companies to become one of the world’s largest access control companies in this highly fragmented market.”
The deal is subject to approval from a meeting of Kaba shareholders on May 22. The two companies expect to complete the combination in the third quarter.
“By merging our two globally established companies, we will significantly strengthen our market position. Not only do we share over one hundred years of entrepreneurial tradition and the same values, but our strategies also largely correspond with one another,” says Dr. Hans Gummert, Chairman of DORMA .
Current Kaba CEO Riet Cadonau has been nominated to head the merged company while Kaba Chairman Ulrich Graf will chair the new firm's board of directors.
“Together with Kaba, we are taking a big step forward. We will broaden our offering, strengthen our global presence and increase our innovation power. This will allow us to better and more quickly take advantage of opportunities that arise through megatrends such as urbanization and digitalization,” Thomas P. Wagner, CEO of DORMA comments, adding that DORMA +kaba will have production facilities in all of the industry’s key markets and will accelerate global expansion through its strengthened presence in particular in Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
Riet Cadonau, CEO of Kaba says that, “DORMA and Kaba are ideal partners in every respect and a compelling strategic fit. The planned merger will create additional opportunities for sustainable profitable growth – thereby providing added value to our clients, partners, employees and shareholders.”
According to the most recent IHS report on electronic access control, the merger of Kaba and DORMA would make the combined company the second-largest player in EMEA’s access-control industry, second only to Assa Abloy.
DORMA began expanding its portfolio in 2012 with the acquisition of RCI -- and again in 2014 with the acquisition of Farpointe Data. While the acquisition of RCI complemented DORMA ’s existing portfolio, Farpointe Data allowed DORMA to further penetrate the government-equipment category with products that are complaint with federal information processing standards (FIPS). Kaba’s acquisition of Keyscan in 2014 helped to further solidify the company’s presence in the American region and gain an additional foothold in the access control as a service (ACaaS) market.
StormPro 320 For Tornado Safety
ASSA ABLOY Group brands Ceco Door and Curries introduce the Factory Glazed StormPro 320 system, a new opening solution designed for light commercial and residential buildings located in tornado-prone regions. This assembly shields against flying debris and helps ensure the safety of occupants in safe rooms and storm shelters of small business or residential homes during tornadoes and other extreme windstorm events.
"Tornadoes can bring violent winds of up to 250 miles per hour, with enough force to cause massive destruction to homes and towns, along with heartbreaking deaths and injuries.” said Jim Bell, Windstorm Coordinator, ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions. “By combining research, experience and technological advances, we can now offer this high performance opening solution with the unique optional feature of a window that allows occupants to safely see what’s happening outside the room.”
The Factory Glazed StormPro 320 door is always ready for the next tornado, without compromising operation and aesthetics in normal use. The door is available with a patentpending, factory installed 10” x 10” tornado-resistant glass kit, enabling occupants to safely peer out to see if the storm has passed. An industry first, this tornado-resistant glazing is third-party UL tested and classified to FEMA 320 guidelines and ICC 500 standards.
The Ceco Door StormPro 320 fully-tested and certified assembly includes UL-labeled doors, plus cylindrical locks, dead bolts, hinges, closers, position switches, and power transfers from ASSA ABLOY hardware brands, creating a complete opening solution. The certification requires door, frame and hardware combinations as tested and should not be compromised.
More Info: www.cecodoor.com
Allegion to Acquire Brio
Allegion, plc has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of Brio Industries, a division of RMD Industries Pty Ltd. Brio is a market-leading designer and manufacturer of sliding and folding door hardware for commercial and residential spaces in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter.
Allegion Senior Vice President and President of Asia Pacific William Yu said the acquisition of Brio will allow Allegion to enter the sliding and folding door hardware market with an already strong brand reputation and high-quality products, while also providing expansion opportunities around the world.
“The sliding and folding door hardware market has obvious synergies with the ‘around-the-doorway’ security markets Allegion leads, so we already have the technical capabilities needed to support this new product offering for our customers,” Yu said. “With our strong global specification writing teams and sales coverage, we’ll be able to leverage Brio’s position in Australia and New Zealand as well as its increasing footprints in the United States and Europe to drive growth for Allegion and our family of brands.”
Brio General Manager Styli Pelekanos said the acquisition was a strategic one for both entities.
“To be part of Allegion is exciting – almost overnight we are expanding our global footprint,” said Pelekanos. “Brio has spent many years developing a wide range of unique products that have benefited and solved problems for our customers.”
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
