Tornos acquires Swiss machine tool maker

The Tornos Group (www.tornos.ch) acquired 95 percent of Almac SA (www.almac.ch), a manufacturer of CNC machining equipment for small, high-precision parts, predominantly for watchmaking applications in Swiss companies and dental, medical and connector fields, and 100 percent of Almatronic SA, a specialist in computerised numerical controls and programming.

These two companies are based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland with some 40 employees. Their combined turnover for 2007 was approximately $16.8 million.

Almac’s products are tailored to companies operating in the fields of microtechnology, medicine and electronics – three of the four key market segments in which Tornos is involved. With their complementary, non-competitive machines, the two companies share the same target markets, allowing them to benefit from synergies in terms of sales and service networks.

Almac SA and Almatronic SA will remain independent companies, will not be merged with a company belonging to the Tornos Group, will still be based in La Chaux-de-Fonds and the current management will be retained. Almac products will benefit immediately from the sales and service network already established by the Tornos Group.