Semperit to acquire silicones specialist Rico Group

Vienna – Semperit Group is acquiring 100% of the Austria-based Rico Group GmbH, a supplier of silicone injection moulds and manufacturer of liquid silicone components.

The companies signed an agreement 17 April and expect to finalise the deal in the third quarter, Semperit said, without giving further financial details.

The move, said Semperit CEO Karl Haider, will “strategically expand [the] radius of action” for the Austrian group which is currently intensifying its focus on industrial products.

Rico "represents a strategic expansion in terms of product portfolio, processing technologies, automation and materials,” he said.

“With Rico’s engineering know-how, new and attractive markets will be increasingly developed, and growth created,” he added.

Semperit aims to integrate the elastomer specialist into its group of companies.

The independence of the Rico Group, it said, will be maintained in the operational areas, and after the takeover the corporate functions will be supported by Semperit.

Semperit said it will continues to focus on the ongoing expansion programme currently taking place at Rico’s HQ site in Thalheim, Austria, and other locations in the US and Switzerland.

The long-term potential of the acquisition, continued Semperit, lies in “high-quality toolmaking for high-precision and complex solutions.”

Rico will also enhance Semperit’s capabilities in the automation of production steps for the manufacture of large quantities of products.

Through the purchase, the Austrian group also expects to strengthens market access in North America, where Rico has production facilities.

Rico Group was initially founded 29 years ago in Thalheim, in Upper Austria, and was expanded in May 2016 through a trilateral merger.

This combined silicone parts makers Rico Elastomere Projecting GmbH (REP), Swiss injection moulder and toolmaker Silcoplast AG and US company Simtec Silicone Parts.

The expanded group claimed to be “a global market leader” in mould-making and liquid silicones, offering “highly complex, precise, customised overall solutions in high volumes.”

Rico employs 500 people and now consists of five companies, with an annual revenue €90 million.

The new ownership is "our guarantee for continuity and growth, because Semperit understands our business,” said Alfred Griesbaum, one of the three owners of Rico Group.

According to Semperit, Rico Group covers “the entire liquid silicone value-chain, from prototype development to complex mould-making and large-scale cleanroom production.”

Semperit expects the silicone market to post an annual growth rate of 7% until 2027.

The market for silicone applications in western Europe and the US amounted to €8 billion in 2023, the Austrian group added.