Bellmer Acquires GapCon

Gebr. Bellmer GmbH Maschinenfabrik, Niefern, Germany, has taken over the roll and calender specialist GapCon from Irle-Deuz Group located in Siegen, Germany. Since its foundation in the year 2006 by the experienced engineers Wolfgang Wiertz and Wolfgang Mark, the GapCon Group has been a supplier of high-quality products and services for the paper industry. The company developed over the years into a globally recognized technology enterprise.

In the future, the company will operate under the name "Bellmer GapCon GmbH." The company’s locations in Willich (Germany), St. Pölten (Austria), and Calcutta (India) will continue. The Chinese location at Shanghai will be merged with Bellmer’s local branch. The subsidiary GapCon Italy will remain part of Irle-Group and will specialize in the construction of tissue machines. 

 

 

 

GapCon is specifically known as a manufacture of calenders, shoe presses, as well as special rolls. From the beginning, both companies, Bellmer and GapCon, have been united in close partnership for the development and supply of shoe presses. 

Martin Kollmar, president of Bellmer explained that "the complete product range of GapCon as well as the related services and contact persons will remain unchanged and will perfectly complement our existing portfolio." 

With this step, the Bellmer group will have a staff of about 600 people worldwide with a sales volume of about EUR 130 million. Bellmer is a family-owned company, established in 1842. It is managed by the sixth generation brothers Philipp, Martin, and Erich Kollmar. The Bellmer group has two divisions. The Bellmer Paper Technology division manufacturers paper machines for special applications and the Bellmer Separation Technology division provides solutions in the field of solid/liquid separation. 

Erich Kollmar, president of Bellmer, pointed out that "for us, it is very important that the great employees of both our companies cooperate even closer than before. The previous managing directors of GapCon, Wolfgang Wiertz and Wolfgang Mark, will also manage the company in the future." 

Wiertz pointed out that "after having cooperated with Bellmer for such a long time, a lot of new opportunities will result from this merger for all parties. First of all, the customers of the paper and board industry will benefit from this development."