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Auto parts maker increases in house heat treating through acquisitions. Global auto parts supplier "Linamar" has always been known as one of the largest in-house heat treaters in North America as rated by "The Monty" "15 Largest Captive Heat Treats-North America". With their global reach they are also a very substantial in-house heat treater around the globe and this just became larger with a recent acquisition of two facilities in Germany. The bare outline of these acquisitions can be found in this press release below but the real story for heat treaters can be found in its exclusive story further down. This story comes from a visit "The Monty" made to these facilities and spells out in depth the heat treating capabilities these firms add to "Linamar's" heat treating capabilities. "Linamar Acquires Two German Manufacturing Facilities from Winning; Linamar has agreed to buy two German manufacturing plants from Winning BLW, expanding its global footprint. The Canadian autoparts maker said Friday that it is acquiring the two facilities in Remscheid and Penzberg as the company looks to expands its product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities. BLW. Linamar said the acquisition is immediately accretive and expects the new additions to add about 200 million Canadian dollars ($144.3 million) in annualized revenue. Through these acquisitions, Linamar said it is significantly expanding its forging expertise to include warm forging, expanding its offering of precision gears to include precision bevel and helical gears, as well as small to medium-sized drivetrain and transmission components. The company said that both facilities already serve customers that Linamar has existing business with, while also introducing new customers." ORIGINAL ARTICLE (OCTOBER 2023) Lets start with some basic background; "The Winning BLW Group develops, produces and sells drive and synchronization elements for the automotive industry at 3 locations in Germany. With more than 72 years of experience in the field of precision forming, the company is an innovative and competent partner to the national and international automotive industry as well as its suppliers Home - Winning BLW GmbH". As you would expect the firm's heat treating requirements are substantial and for its most recent facility in Penzberg, Germany the company turned to one of the largest commercial heat treaters in the country "Hanomag" for assistance in their heat treating needs Hanomag: Home (haertecenter.de) (to find out the relative size of Hanomag we would suggest this ranking as provided by "The Monty Heat Treat News" Largest European Commercial Heat Treaters | The Monty). The end result is that "Hanomag" is in the final stages of setting up a "state of the art" heat treat facility in the new Winning BLW facility in Penzberg, Germany. When this location is in full production in 2024 it will have over 300 employees producing components for the heavy truck industry. Next year the company will require 6,600 tons of product per year to be heat treated and to do this Hanomag has set up a very impressive in house heat treat department which when completed will include 7 Aichelin Sealed Quench furnaces (batch IQ for its North American readers), each with a capacity of 2,000 kg, an Ipsen Sealed quench furnace with similar dimensions, an Ipsen rotary hearth furnace, ancillary equipment and annealing capacity which is yet to come. The heat treat department will be staffed by roughly 25 individuals all of whom will be Hanomag employees. Currently the furnaces are just entering production with full production expected in 2024. The Aichelin sealed quench line is completely automated and can be considered a "lights out operation". All furnaces are gas fired with atmosphere provided by 3 endothermic generators, atmosphere is controlled by oxygen probes with portable 3 gas analyzers and regular shim stock checks providing backup. While this location's heat treating needs are being provided by Hanomag, Winnings' Munich location handles their own in house heat treating which includes nitriding and vacuum hardening. A number of the largest commercial heat treaters in the world have targeted in house heat treating departments as a natural progression for their businesses but it is still not a common occurrence. This is one of the best examples Themonty has seen and while this project is in it's initial stages it would at this point in time appear to be a "win/win" situation for both companies. These photos tell the rest of the story.

Linamar signs deal to buy two factories in Germany. March 27, 2026 10:16 AM EDT Canadian auto supply giant Linamar Corp. says it has signed a deal with Winning BLW to buy the company's factories in Remscheid and Penzberg, Germany. Staying current is easy with newsletters delivered straight to your inbox.

Linamar to acquire german gear manufacturing facilities. The company says the acquisition will broaden its manufacturing capabilities, including the addition of warm forging, and expand its existing portfolio of drivetrain and transmission components. [Photo: Linamar Corp.] Linamar Corporation says it has entered into an agreement to acquire two manufacturing facilities in Germany from Winning BLW, expanding its capabilities in forging and precision gear production. According to a press release, the deal includes plants located in Remscheid and Penzberg. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the company says the acquisition is expected to add approximately $200 million in annualized revenue. Linamar says the Remscheid facility focuses on high-volume production of precision bevel and intermediate gears for the light vehicle market. The Penzberg operation manufactures helical gears and other high-precision components used in commercial and off-highway applications. The company says the acquisition will broaden its manufacturing capabilities, including the addition of warm forging, and expand its existing portfolio of drivetrain and transmission components. Linamar adds that both facilities serve customers with whom it already has established relationships, while also introducing new clients. The company says the transaction is expected to support its ongoing growth across global mobility and industrial markets.