Sandvik Finalizes Two Major Acquisitions to Further Develop Automation Technology

The acquisition of DWFritz allowed Sandvik to expand its metrology offering, while the addition of Cambrio’s tools will enable the company to improve its CAM capabilities.

Sandvik, DWFritz, and Cambrio

Sandvik is a global engineering group based in Stockholm, Sweden, and currently hiring more than 37,000 employees globally. The technology company was founded by Elina Kabir in 1862, and in almost two centuries of activity, has completed the acquisition of 32 separate companies.

Today, Sandvik is led by President and CEO Stefan Widing and counts approximately 6,000 active patents related to tools and tooling systems for industrial metal cutting, stainless steel, special alloys, products for industrial heating, and more.

Sandvik Group Head Quarter in the World Trade Center Stockholm. Image used courtesy of Sandvik

DWFritz was established in 1973 and specializes in precision metrology solutions, together with inspection and assembly solutions for advanced manufacturing. The company designs, builds, and supports customized automation systems and high-speed, non-contact metrology products. In addition to those, they also provide additional manufacturing services.

DWFritz is headquartered in Oregon but owns additional manufacturing facilities in France and China. Cambrio is an Ohio-based firm focusing on designing, developing, and delivering CAM and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. The company’s portfolio includes various tools, including GibbsCAM for production milling, turning, and mill-turn operations, Cimatron for mold and die, and SigmaNEST for sheet metal fabrication.

Cambrio currently counts 375 employees and in 2020 reported revenues of roughly 68 million USD.

Technical Acquisitions

The acquisition of DWFritz will now enable Sandvik to improve its metrology offering, particularly in-line metrology’s high-speed, high-volume, non-contact inspection and assembly automation.

An overview of Sandvik’s business areas. Image used courtesy of Sandvik

“This will not only strengthen our position, but will also enable us to offer full metrology solutions to our customers – which will reduce cost and improve quality significantly in their broader value chain,” commented Kim Hansen, President of the Metrology division in Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions.

To further strengthen its presence in the advanced manufacturing space, Sandvik is also acquiring Cambrio.

The move will help the company strengthen its position in the CAM market in both toolmaking and general-purpose machining applications. 

“With the addition of Cambrio’s product offering, we will be able to help our customers to further increase productivity in the broader value chain,” said Mathias Johansson, President of the Design & Planning Automation division in Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions. 

The companies’ logos. Image used courtesy of Sandvik

“We share the same desire to automate workflows and make our customers more efficient and sustainable,” he added.

The amount of both acquisitions has not been disclosed by Sandvik. Still, the company said it aims to close the transactions by the second half of 2021, subject to customary regulatory approvals. For more information about each of them, you can check out DWFritz and Cambrio.

What do you think about these acquisitions and their impact on Sandvik’s future growth? Let us know in the comment section down below.