Mori Seiki Co Ltd and Gildemeister AG announced a business and capital collaboration to promote global business activities.
To strengthen the partnership, both parties agreed to a cross-shareholding investment of 5% in each company. Mori Seiki will thus become the largest, single Gildemeister shareholder. In addition, Mori Seiki’s President, Masahiko Mori, and Gildemeister CEO Rüdiger Kapitza, will hold reciprocal seats on the partner company’s board.
“The global machine tool industry is changing. It is critical that we pursue a business model that will position Mori Seiki for strong future growth,” says Thomas R. Dillon, President, Mori Seiki USA.
Both Mori Seiki and Gildemeister are leading machine tool builders with complementary activities in business regions and product development. The cooperation may extend to production, purchasing and the development of machines, as well as sales and services in selected markets.
In particular, the companies plan to control costs by leveraging the joint procurement and purchasing power of two major machine tool builders on a global basis. With consolidated sales activities in selected regions, Mori Seiki and Gildemeister can jointly invest in emerging markets. Establishing a finance company for customers is also under consideration.
“The current focus of this collaboration is global business opportunities. Our domestic operating structure, including sales, will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future,” Dillon says.