Partek Corporation’s subsidiary Kalmar Industries has signed an agreement to acquire NHC Holding, comprising the container crane and straddle carrier manufacturer Nelcon and the service company Groot-Hensen.

NHC Holding’s net sales are E80m and it employs 260 people. The transaction is subject to the customary regulatory approvals.

Headquartered in Rotterdam, Nelcon manufactures a range of harbour cranes with ship-to-shore container gantry cranes (SSC) and rail-mounted yard gantry cranes (RMG). Nelcon also produces diesel-electric straddle carriers.

Kalmar said that it could now offer a more comprehensive package of container handling solutions from ship-to-shore and container stacking cranes through to lift trucks and terminal tractors.

The acquisition also boosts Kalmar’s servicing capability. The company said that the addition of Nelcon would strengthen the group’s position when bidding for maintenance contracts involving non-Kalmar equipment.

Kalmar has won several major maintenance contracts recently including a 34-machine deal in Marseille.

“Not only does Nelcon take us into new territory that we are keen to develop, it also brings to Kalmar experience in the maintenance of such process critical equipment. In offering comprehensive service packages to potential and perhaps more importantly, existing customers, this is of significant additional value,” said Kalmar president and CEO Christer Granskog.

“The two companies’ product ranges constitute a very good fit as there is very little overlap. The SSC cranes fill gaps in the Kalmar range while Nelcon’s diesel-electric straddle carrier sits comfortably alongside Kalmar’s diesel-hydraulic machines.

“Kalmar can now offer SSC cranes and RMG cranes, in addition to rubber tyred gantry cranes. In the case of straddle carriers, it is apparent that some terminal operators prefer diesel-hydraulic machines and others diesel-electric. Kalmar will be the first supplier to offer both alternatives.”