Poultry processing equipment leader Foodmate expands automation hardware and software solutions with acquisition of Barth Industrial Automation.

Foodmate B.V. ("Foodmate"), a leading global designer and manufacturer of poultry processing equipment and a member of the Duravant family of operating companies, has acquired Barth Industrial Automation ("BIA") enhancing its technology offerings and expanding its services for integrated production line solutions. The acquisition further strengthens Foodmate's deep design and development capabilities for their core product portfolio, which spans weighing, grading, cutting and deboning technologies.

Headquartered in 's-Gravendeel, The Netherlands, BIA has established itself as a leading provider of engineering, vision, robotics and automation solutions to OEM partners in the food industry. Specializing in hardware and software engineering services, their expertise resides in their ability to deploy controls solutions for complete production lines.

"Foodmate and BIA have been strategic partners for over 15 years, and we're excited to bring together BIA's team of engineers, technicians and automation specialists with Foodmate's poultry processing experts," said David Wilson, Group President of Foodmate. "Together, we will be able to offer an even broader set of integrated solutions for our customers that will ensure product quality, production efficiency and maximum yield for their poultry processing lines."

BIA's expertise in industrial automation will complement Foodmate's R&D activities and accelerate new product development initiatives for the company. "Foodmate has a culture of continuous innovation and has had tremendous success introducing new products to the market," said Lisa de Wit-Barth, Operations Manager from BIA, who will now lead Human Resources at Foodmate. "The BIA team shares Foodmate's passion for helping customers configure custom solutions that advance their production capabilities and ensure they operate safely, efficiently and profitably."

About Foodmate

Foodmate is a leading global poultry processing equipment solutions provider and partner to the world's most trusted poultry processing companies. Foodmate brings innovative technology and cost-effective solutions to poultry processing automation. Their highly engineered machines optimize yields, improve quality, and reduce labor costs while delivering a low cost of ownership. Foodmate maintains a commitment to being the industry's go-to partner for poultry processing equipment. The company has a strategic global footprint featuring manufacturing, engineering and demo facilities in Brazil, Poland, The Netherlands, UK and USA. Visit www.foodmateglobal.com

About Duravant

Headquartered in Downers Grove, IL, Duravant is a global automation and engineered equipment company with manufacturing, sales and service facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Through their portfolio of operating companies, Duravant delivers trusted end-to-end process solutions for customers and partners through engineering and integration expertise, project management and operational excellence. With worldwide sales distribution and service networks, they provide immediate and lifetime aftermarket support to all the markets they serve in the food processing, packaging and material handling sectors. Duravant's market-leading brands are synonymous with innovation, durability and reliability. For more information, visit www.duravant.com.