BAADER acquires Sweden’s SEAC

Food processing plant group BAADER has acquired SEAC AB, the Swedish fish processing manufacturer. The move continues BAADER’s drive to consolidate the sector.
SEAC, based in Färjestaden on the Swedish island of Öland, is a leading supplier of fish-processing machinery for small pelagic fish species. It supplies a worldwide customer base.
Robert Focke, Managing Director BAADER Fish, said: “Looking into the future and the compatible processing solutions of BAADER, the SEAC technology is a perfect fit for BAADER to further extend our overall product portfolio also among small fish species.”
Ulf Grönqvist, the owner of SEAC, will step down as CEO and hand over his responsibilities to Vidar Breiteig, Managing Director of BAADER in Norway who will take on the additional role of Managing Director at the acquired firm.
Anders Lorentzen, Managing Director of BAADER in Denmark, will become Deputy Managing Director of SEAC, and Ulf Grönqvist assist the transition, working as a consultant.
Grönqvist said: “Having BAADER as a backbone will ensure continuation and future extension of SEAC and its technology. It will offer our customers both the certainty and confidence needed for current and future investments.”
SEAC will continue to operate as an independent entity under the SEAC brand with all SEAC employees remaining within their roles and responsibilities, BAADER said, and the company has stressed that SEAC’s existing customer and supplier arrangements will continue.
In October last year, BAADER announced the acquisition of Icelandic competitor Skaginn 3X, and in November it announced it was setting up a subsidiary in France.
Petra Baader, Executive Chairwoman of BAADER, said: “By acquiring SEAC, we are further concentrating our leading role as a provider of complete protein-processing solutions. The need to meet global food demand now and in the future drives us to continuously improve and advance our offerings. Boosting the sale of SEAC processing solutions means ensuring that more small fish species will be available for high-quality human consumption.”