The Luxembourg-based company ESPACE 2001 S.A., which specializes in industrial robotics and image processing, has acquired all the shares in the joint venture 3D.aero from the previous owners Lufthansa Technik AG and Pepperl+Fuchs SE with effect from 1 January 2021.
3D.aero was founded in 2017. Since then, the company has been researching, developing and marketing innovative automation and digitization solutions for the aviation industry. In addition to industrial maintenance and factory automation solutions, 3D.aero also offers optical measuring device applications, digital inspection and image processing applications and related consulting services.
ESPACE 2001, which offers services in the field of robotics and industrial automation, intends to further develop 3D.aero’s portfolio and to market the company’s existing products and expertise in sensor-based automation technology in various industries outside of aerospace.
“We are very pleased to continue the successful and close cooperation with 3D.aero that has grown over the years. As shareholders of 3D.aero, we will push ahead with a targeted further development in the field of sensor-based automation technology, and in particular in the field of high-resolution 3D sensor technology,” says Administrateur Délégué of ESPACE 2001, Dr. Werner Neddermeyer. “It is of particular importance to us that our highly specialized and motivated employees continue to lead the company to economic success with interesting and future-oriented technologies in the field of industrial 3D sensor technology and data processing. To this end, we will expand the strategic partnerships that exist to a large extent in the aviation industry and in other areas.”
Dietmar Focke, Vice President Engine Services at Lufthansa Technik, says this of the agreement: “The dramatic impact of the coronavirus crisis on the aviation industry has unfortunately not stopped at 3D.aero. To ensure the survival of the company, an orientation towards new markets is necessary. We are therefore extremely pleased that in ESPACE 2001 we have found a buyer that not only has a high level of expertise but also the necessary broad market positioning. I wish our employees the best of luck and success in their new working home, and thank them for the great work they have done over the past few years.”
Dr. Gunther Kegel, CEO of Pepperl+Fuchs, adds: “We are convinced that the strategic reorientation of 3D.aero, which was made necessary by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, can be moved forward much faster under the umbrella of ESPACE 2001, and we are delighted to have found a future for 3D.aero and our employees in this way. We would like to thank them for their excellent work and wish all of them the best of luck and success. In future we would like to continue our cooperation in automation on a project-specific basis”.
The headquarters of 3D.aero with its 20 employees is the Hamburg Innovation Port (HIP).