VALKA acquired by MAREL

Marel has announced the acquisition of over 90% of Valka's capital through a public tender offer, aiming to eventually acquire all outstanding shares. This transaction enables Valka to leverage a global entity with a consolidation strategy, allowing it to transition to a new industrial phase by integrating its water jet cutting technology modules into Marel's fish processing division, thereby eliminating capacity and distribution constraints that had hindered its international expansion. A long-term financial structure has been established through a mixed payment parity of cash and Marel shares, which are subject to an eighteen-month lock-up period for founding shareholders, while operational continuity is ensured by the retention of the historical leader as director of solution integrity. Post-acquisition priorities will focus on merging technological roadmaps to commercialize fully automated processing solutions, as well as implementing immediate commercial synergies by deploying Valka's offering to Marel's global installed base, while optimizing after-sales service activity through the acquirer's logistics infrastructure, which will enable Valka to increase its presence in five new countries, expanding its geographical reach and strengthening its position in the industry.

The acquisition of Valka is part of the growth strategy of Marel, which already has several external growth operations under its belt, notably Treif Maschinenbau in 2020.