Through its Dutch IT subsidiary TBA, Demag Cranes has acquired the British company DB Controls, based in Doncaster (South Yorkshire, UK).
DB Controls comes with accredited software and consulting competence related to bulk materials automation and won the IBJ Award IT Solutions for Bulk Handling in 2010. The customers of the company, which in future will trade exclusively under the brand DBIS, include port and terminal operators in Great Britain, Asia and Africa, among others.
The acquisition is part of the parent company’s strategy of expanding its capabilities in the field of bulk materials handling in the port technology segment. Thanks to the complementary service portfolio of DB Controls, Demag Cranes is expanding its range of software and consultancy services, previously geared to container terminals in the port and hinterland, to include the area of bulk materials. As a result, customers throughout the world receive a complete package from a single source.
Thomas H. Hagen, member of the management board of Demag Cranes AG and COO, emphasizes, “DB Controls’ consulting and software capabilities combined with their automation skills are at the upper end of the services pyramid.This will enable us to strengthen our position in the bulk materials handling market considerably.”
 
DEMAG CRANES
The Demag Cranes Group is one of the world’s major suppliers of industrial cranes and crane components, harbour cranes and terminal automation technology. Services, in particular maintenance and refurbishment, are another key element of the Group’s business activities. The group is divided into the business segments Industrial Cranes, Port Technology and Services and has strong and well-established Demag and Gottwald brands. Demag Cranes sees its core competence in the development and construction of technically sophisticated cranes and hoists as well as automated transport and logistics systems in ports and terminals, the provision of services for these products and the manufacture of high-quality components.
As a global supplier, Demag Cranes manufactures in 16 countries on five continents and operates a worldwide sales and service network that is present in over 60 countries through its subsidiaries such as Demag Cranes & Components GmbH and Gottwald Port Technology GmbH, agencies and a joint venture. In financial year 2009/2010, the group, with its 5,711 employees, generated revenue of €931.3 million.