HUBER+SUHNER acquires the BKtel Group

BKtel has three locations in Germany and holds majority participations in two companies in France and Japan. With 150 employees, the company generates sales of around CHF 45 million (EUR 41.26 million). BKtel develops, manufactures and implements active and passive components for broadband networks and has extensive expertise in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and distributed access architecture (DAA) as well as optical signal processing (optical converters, amplifiers and fiber lasers). The purchase price is approximately CHF 50 million (EUR 45.84 million). The deal is expected to close in December, accoridng to a press release. BKtel was founded in 1997 as part of a management buy-out by former employees of Alcatel Kabel Deutschland. In addition to the founders, who hold the majority of BKtel, BWK Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft is also among the owners. Its headquarters are in Hückelhoven-Baal, North Rhine-Westphalia. Further sites are located in Kornwestheim near Stuttgart and Rosenheim in Bavaria. The product range includes optical transmission devices such as transmitters, amplifiers and receivers as well as cable TV headends and radio frequency amplifiers.. "The acquisition will significantly strengthen our position in the core market WAN / Access Networks," says Urs Ryffel, CEO of HUBER+SUHNER, in the release. "BKtel has a strong position with important network operators in Germany. This will enable us in future to offer these customers complete network solutions consisting of active and passive components from a single source. The BKtel know-how ideally complements the existing competencies of HUBER+SUHNER with active access network components and data laser technology. With BKtel, we are also acquiring an economically strong company that will contribute to the profitability of HUBER+SUHNER from day one."