First Major Acquisition Since Harman,
2.5 Trillion Won Invested in Eight Years
Surging Demand for Air Conditioning in Data Centers
Driven by the Spread of AI
Samsung Electronics has completed the acquisition of Germany's Plact Group, the largest HVAC equipment company in Europe, investing funds on the trillion-won scale. It is being evaluated that Roh Tae-moon, Acting Head of the DX Division at Samsung Electronics, demonstrated his leadership by directing the acquisition process. As Samsung Electronics restructures its business portfolio around artificial intelligence (AI) manufacturing solutions and energy management, the company is expected to accelerate its entry into the data center market through the acquisition of this global HVAC company.
On November 6, Samsung Electronics announced the completion of the acquisition process for Plact Group. The amount invested in the acquisition was 1.5 billion euros (approximately 2.5 trillion won), marking the first trillion-won scale merger and acquisition (M&A) since the Harman deal in 2017, eight years ago.
Through the acquisition of Plact, Samsung Electronics plans to foster future growth engines in the rapidly expanding global HVAC market driven by demand from AI, cloud, and data centers. By securing Plact's precision air conditioning technology and its production and sales network in Europe, Samsung Electronics will expand its business into manufacturing infrastructure and data center-focused HVAC markets.
With over 100 years of history and technical expertise, Plact has supplied central air conditioning and precision cooling solutions for data centers, large commercial facilities, and hospitals in Europe and global markets. HVAC equipment is essential for facilities that require precise environmental control, such as data centers and hospitals. In particular, the recent surge in demand for data centers due to the spread of AI has heightened the importance of high-precision HVAC technology.
Samsung Electronics intends to utilize Plact's key infrastructure and networks, such as its production and sales bases, to develop advanced HVAC solutions. Furthermore, the company plans to gradually integrate the products and services of both companies to maximize synergy. Samsung Electronics aims to expand beyond home appliances into the B2B (business-to-business) sector, with a strategy to broaden its business scope into high-precision, large-scale facility HVAC fields that are difficult for Chinese competitors to enter.
This acquisition is significant not only for the technology but also for absorbing Plact's network. Plact possesses more than ten production bases and an extensive sales and service network spanning Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia.
Roh Tae-moon, Acting Head of the DX Division (President) at Samsung Electronics, stated, "The acquisition of Plact is a strategic decision for Samsung Electronics to lead the global HVAC market and provide innovative solutions to customers," adding, "By combining Plact's technological capabilities with Samsung Electronics' AI platform, we will move forward as a leading company in the global HVAC market."
Trevor Young, CEO of Plact, commented, "This will further accelerate Plact's global market expansion and technological innovation," and described it as "an important turning point in the development of future-oriented HVAC solutions."
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