On All Hallows‘ Eve, the Westphalian machine builder Aumann, based in Beelen, announced that it had taken over the business operations and technology portfolio of the LACOM GmbH with effect from 1 November 2023. The Lacom GmbH will henceforth be known as Aumann Lauchheim GmbH, though the Lacom name will remain a strong brand within the Aumann Group.

Both companies develop and produce machine and plant systems for the future market of electromobility. Before I explain further details about the takeover of Lacom, I would like to briefly introduce the two companies.

The companies in brief: The Lacom GmbH, based in Lauchheim (about 90 km east of Stuttgart), was founded in 1995. Lacom is a specialist in laminating and coating plants, particularly in the fields of electrode and MEA production (membrane electrode assembly).

Lacom GmbH’s customers include, among others, automotive manufacturers and suppliers of the automotive industry, as well as research institutes and companies from the battery and fuel cell technology sector.

The Aumann AG, based in Westphalia in Beelen (40 km east of Münster), is, according to its own statement, a world-leading manufacturer of special machines and production lines for components of electrified drivetrains. In addition, the company is active as an equipment provider for plants in the automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics sectors, as well as for other industries.

The Aumann AG, founded in 1936, has three production sites in Germany, as well as one each in the USA and China. In the first half of 2023, Aumann achieved a turnover of almost 119 million euros. This was 29% more than in the previous year. The operating result (EBIT) was 5.25 million euros, more than 8 times higher than in the previous year’s comparison period. Aumann will publish new figures for the third quarter of 2023 on 14 November 2023.

Aumann expands its e-mobility portfolio Through the acquisition of Lacom, Aumann expands its existing electromobility portfolio in the field of battery module and battery pack assembly, as well as winding machines, to include coating plants for electrode production.

In the field of fuel cell production, Aumann is now able to offer innovative production solutions along the entire value chain – from coating to stacking to final assembly.

In the current financial year 2023, the takeover will have no significant impact on Aumann’s turnover and results. For 2024, Aumann expects additional sales in the low double-digit million range.

Although the Aumann share has come back significantly from its yearly highs, it is still up 18% since the beginning of the year. However, it is still miles away from its old highs of over 90 euros. If you want to bet on the future of the automobile sector with a German subsidiary, you can take a closer look at the Aumann share. According to my analysis, the value is interesting.