ALFA Laval is to acquire air Dutch heat exchanger firm Helpman BV for an undisclosed sum.
Helpman BV produces coolers and condensers for the industrial refrigeration market. Main application areas are meat processing, agricultural products, flower auctions, banana ripening, fish industry and heat recovery.

Helpman had a turnover in 2006 of about £14.5m and has approximately 135 employees within R&D, sales and at two manufacturing units, in Groningen, Netherlands and in Sofia, Bulgaria. The completion of the transaction is subject to approval from regulatory authorities. The intention is to fully integrate Helpman into Alfa Laval.

'An acquisition of Helpman is in line with the Alfa Laval's strategy to strengthen our position in the European air heat exchangers market, which we estimate has a potential of about SEK 4bn [£293m]', said Lars Renström, president and ceo of Alfa Laval Group. 'With a reinforced product portfolio, primarily in the industrial applications, in combination with our strong local presence, not at least in Central and Eastern Europe, I see great opportunities for profitable growth.'

'Alfa Laval has a strong presence in most of the world and through their global sales organisation we will be able to increase the sales of Helpman products', says Lambert Bouwmeester, managing director of Helpman BV.