HÜBNER Group strengthens its position in the segment Material Solutions.
"While HÜBNER is the leading company in the area of elastomer sealing systems for doors and windows for railway vehicles, GWU has established a similarly strong position in the bus industry. In addition to its innovative product portfolio, GWU is especially distinguished by its strong customer relationships with the most prominent European bus producers," remarks HÜBNER General Manager Ingolf Cedra, responsible for the Material Solutions business segment.
"Together GWU and HÜBNER will have a leading role in Europe in the area of door sealing and safety systems for the complete mobility segment – a position that we will also pursue globally on a mid-term basis," says Cedra in detailing the strategic background of the acquisition. The newly constituted corporate group is particularly interested in additional growth in the US market. In this connection, HÜBNER has just established a new production location in Dunlap, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States.
"With HÜBNER we have found the right partner for the future development of the GWU Group," emphasizes GWU Managing Director Tobias Lexhaller. "On the one hand, the family-owned company has stood for a solid and reliable approach to business. On the other hand, with its existing worldwide network of locations and customer relationships, it shows a clear perspective for future growth." In addition, Lexhaller notes the fact that there are almost no overlaps in the respective product portfolios or company locations, which gives a high degree of job security for all employees. Lexhaller: "Both sides share the goal of technology leadership for sophisticated engineering solutions for elastomers. Together we want to drive innovation in the field."
Innovative passenger protection systems for vehicles
Gummi-Welz GmbH & Co. KG was founded by Hans Welz in 1946 and was led by his daughter and son-in-law as a family-owned company until mid-2006. In the course of a company succession, the two managing directors Lexhaller and Grein took over the company and developed it step by step into a modern supplier for international customers.
GWU’s innovative systems for protecting passengers from being caught in the automatic doors of public transport vehicles are a special highlight of its product portfolio. In the past years, the company has developed finger protection profiles that work with with light curtains as touchless safety systems for passenger protection. These systems can also be retrofitted for existing vehicles, thus reducing the risk of accidents for transport operators.
In addition, GWU produces insulating materials for vehicles, locomotives and railway cars. In the product area of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), the company offers individual paneling systems and sound insulation components.
HÜBNER Group
Mobility. Materials. Photonics. | united by passion.
As a global system supplier for the mobility industry, for manufacturing and for life sciences and research applications, the HÜBNER Group is the worldwide leader in gangway systems for buses and railway vehicles (Mobility), a prominent solution provider for rubber products, plastics technologies and elastomer-coated industrial textiles (Material Solutions) as well as a rising supplier for applications in the field of laser, terahertz and high-frequency technologies (Photonics). The HÜBNER Group employs more than 3,300 people around the world. In addition to the headquarters in Kassel, Germany, HÜBNER has built up more than 25 locations around the world in the preceding years and decades.
