Konecranes has in mid April acquired Spanish company Ausió Sistemas de Elevación S.L. (Ausió). The company specializes in manufacturing, sales and service of industrial cranes and hoists. Konecranes acquired the company from its owner, who will continue as General Manager in the company. The company has some 100 employees and net sales of EUR 17 Million. The value of the acquisition is not disclosed.

Ausió is a significant player in the Spanish crane business. Ausió's headquarters and main manufacturing facilities are located in Vic, about an hour's drive northwest of Barcelona. The company manufactures about 600 cranes a year. Crane sales and service are handled through Ausió's own service outlets and through a sales network. The acquisition will expand Konecranes' existing presence in Spain, which includes operations in Valencia, San Sebastian and Madrid.

"The acquisition of Ausió is strategically a very important step for Konecranes," says Pekka Päkkilä, President, Standard Lifting at Konecranes. "Earlier this year, Konecranes acquired the Spanish company Eydimen 2000 S.L. These two companies together give us excellent access to two of the most important EOT crane and service markets in Spain  - Catalonia and the Basque region."

Following this acquisition Konecranes will be able to market its entire product portfolio in Spain. Until now, Konecranes has been very active in Spanish ports. The company is well-known and has delivered several cranes to the ports of Valencia and Barcelona, for example. Eydimen has marketed Konecranes CXT industrial cranes and components in the country. The acquisition of Ausió complements our marketing network and gives an opportunity to introduce Konecranes process cranes to the Spanish market. In addition, the service business has much growth potential in the country.

Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes provides productivity-enhancing lifting solutions as well as services for lifting equipment and machine tools of all makes. In 2007, Group sales totaled EUR 1,750 million. The Group has 8,400 employees, in more than 470 locations in 43 countries. Konecranes is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange Helsinki (symbol: KCR1V).