Munters AB has signed a definitive agreement to acquire HB Group, an international company that specializes in customized hygienic climate control systems for the food/dairy industries. HB Group has locations in Almelo, the Netherlands and a joint venture in Hrusky, Czech Republic.

Munters is a global company for energy efficient air treatment solutions. The group’s engineers specialize in climate control for customers in a wide range of industries, with the largest being the food, pharmaceutical, and data center sectors. The company reports that the agreement combines the strength of Munters and HB Group by leveraging Munters’ sales channel, software tools, and service reach with HB Group’s application knowledge, product offering, and customer base.

“HB Group's seasoned management team has done a fantastic job of building a solid and successful operation that provides quality products for demanding applications” said Scott Haynes, president of business area air treatment for Munters. “Munters and HB share a strong focus on critical industrial applications. Munters will be able to expand its successful systems product portfolio to include HB Group’s world class stainless steel hygienic systems, while HB Group’s customers will benefit from the vertical integration of Munters’ innovative energy efficient technologies. This, combined with expanding our European manufacturing and service footprint, will allow us to better serve the industry. We look forward to bringing together the two companies to meet the demands of the marketplace and grow closer to our customers.”

“We are very happy to join the global team and reach of Munters,” commented Eric Bonvanie, previous owner and managing director of HB Group. “Munters’ global service network will provide more local access for all our service needs and bring enormous additional potential for our solutions offering. Our existing customers will be pleased to hear that HB Group, as part of Munters, will be able to support them whenever and wherever they need. In addition, Munters will be able to offer new and further career opportunities for our employees.”