Kistler has recently taken over Schatz AG in Remscheid (Germany) and its US sales and service company, Schatz USA, Inc., Holly (MI). This acquisition gives the Kistler Group new potential applications in quality assurance in industrial manufacturing. The Schatz Group can now market its systems through Kistler's global sales network, giving it access to previously under exploited markets.

Screw driving is still one of the most elementary basic processes in industrial manufacturing. The monitoring and inspection of screw connections is extremely important in quality assurance, especially in the automotive industry. By acquiring the market and technology leader, the Kistler Group is strengthening its own position in quality assurance in industrial manufacturing. The takeover is “a logical step for Kistler in the implementation of its overall growth strategy,” says CEO Rolf Sonderegger. “We want to use our measuring technology in even more applications and increase the number of complete systems and targeted services that we offer.”

This is a win-win situation for both companies and their customers. The Schatz Group develops, manufactures, and distributes laboratory systems for the analysis of screw connections, calibration equipment and test systems for torque tools, and portable measurement systems for random sample testing. The company also supplies the necessary network software and provides a calibration and repair service. In 2015 the group generated sales of close to €16 million. It employs 75 people at its sites in Remscheid (Germany) and Holly (USA). Following the takeover, Schatz Group products and services can now be marketed through the global sales network of the Kistler Group. “This gives us better access to international markets and entirely new growth opportunities, not least due to an expanded product range,” says Volker Schatz, CEO of Schatz AG. Customers of both companies will now be able to pull significant benefits from the advantages of the expanded portfolio, the global accessibility and the growth in know-how.