Jebsen & Jessen Group acquires majority stake in Safetech,

Diversified industrial conglomerate Jebsen & Jessen Group and Safetech, Australia’s premier dock products and lifting solutions company has signed a strategic partnership that will see Jebsen & Jessen acquire a majority stake in Safetech.

As two family businesses with enduring legacies, shared values and a commitment to excellence, Jebsen & Jessen Group and Safetech will combine their expertise to provide a broader product range and high levels of customer service to the Australian material handling industry. The deal is expected to be completed on 28 March 2024.

This partnership expands upon the Jebsen & Jessen Group’s ‘Advance and Build’ strategy, which also saw the acquisition of MHE-Demag’s Industrial Products (IPD) Business in February 2023, now known as MHE, as well as Electro-Mechanical Services (EMS) in Australia, both forming Jebsen & Jessen’s Material Handling division. ​

Leveraging Safetech’s established sales, engineering and manufacturing operations in Australia, the partnership creates further synergies for Jebsen & Jessen’s Material Handling division in Australia. It will bring together diversified product portfolios from MHE, EMS, and Safetech, a larger sales and service network in Australia, and access to Safetech’s Australian-designed and manufactured products for Jebsen & Jessen’s key markets, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

“We are honoured to warmly welcome Safetech’s 180 experienced colleagues into the Jebsen & Jessen Family. Safetech’s long-standing leadership in the market, coupled with their unwavering commitment to excellence and shared values that closely resonate with our own, truly distinguishes them as an exceptional partner,” said Per Magnusson, Group CEO of the Jebsen & Jessen Group. “This partnership aligns with our Advance & Build strategy, driving accelerated growth and solidifying our presence in Australia.”

Karl Tilkorn, regional director of Jebsen & Jessen’s Material Handling business said, “Building upon the foundation laid by the acquisition of EMS last year, our strategic partnership with Safetech will significantly enhance our footprint in Australia’s dynamic and thriving market and deliver enhanced value for customers. Safetech is a major force in Australia’s material handling industry, and our ambition is twofold – to empower its growth by utilising Jebsen & Jessen Group’s resources and to uncover synergies across the Material Handling business in Australia and beyond.”

In a joint management structure, Lindsay Wakefield, founder and managing director of Safetech, will retain a stake in the business as a minority shareholder and continue to serve in the business.

Wakefield said, “From Safetech’s founding, we have continually invested in Australian engineering and manufacturing. Our journey – from a single outsourced product to 180 staff with four factories in regional Victoria – has been driven by the ingenuity and creativity of a talented team and a strong belief that Australia needs local manufacturing. Safetech’s partnership with Jebsen and Jessen will help us maintain that legacy as we continue to grow and strive to provide our customers with outstanding products backed by national service and support.”

Upon the finalisation of the deal, Safetech’s current commercial operations, personnel, offices and factories will remain. Honouring its long heritage of Australian-based engineering and manufacturing capacities, Safetech will continue to produce and market its Australian-designed and manufactured products under its current branding.