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Rexroth pneumatics is reborn under a new name

16 September, 2014

There is a new name in the UK pneumatics market – Aventics – selling the well-established range of products that carry the Rexroth name.

The new company was formed last year after Bosch Rexroth sold its pneumatics business to a German-Scandinavian investment company called Triton, which has a track record in the industrial sector with previous acquisitions including Dunkermotoren, Dematic and Oerlikon. The price paid was not revealed.

Rexroth said that the sell-off would give the pneumatics business long-term growth opportunities outside of the automation sector.

At the Hannover Fair, earlier this year, the business made its public debut under its new name, Aventics. Globally, the operation employs about 2,300 people, and has manufacturing sites in Germany, the US, China, Hungary and France.

In July, a Briton, Paul Cleaver was appointed chairman of the Aventics board. Cleaver previously spent 12 years with Norgen, where he became president and CEO. At Aventics, his roles will include sales, marketing and communications.

In the UK, Aventics has established an operation in Cirencester, led by Stuart Cheyne, who previously ran Bosch Rexroth’s pneumatics business in the UK. He has a team of nine people in Cirencester, and three others based elsewhere. He expects to add more.

Cheyne: no immediate changes

According to Cheyne, UK customers will not notice any immediate changes. Initially, at least, the products will continue to carry the Rexroth name. Aventics has an agreement to dual-brand the products for three years, and Cheyne expects the new name to become increasingly prominent over this period.

Aventics’ pneumatics portfolio includes valves, cylinders (with rods and rodless), actuators, grippers, regulators, slides, ejectors, sensors, fittings and connectors. It also supplies pneumatics and electronics for marine, truck and bus applications, and, for historical reasons, also has a range of inverted tooth chains.

A highlight of the portfolio is the AV range of compact valve terminals which, according to Cheyne, are “completely different to anything else on the market”. The valves have been designed to be used close to the actuator, thus reducing compressed air requirements by up to 20%. They are claimed to weigh half as much and to occupy 45% less space than some other valves. 

Cheyne says that the new ownership will allow the business to expand into new areas, such as heavy industry and medical technology, which it has not addressed before. He is hoping to capture a larger slice of the UK’s £160-180m pneumatics market, but will not be drawn on specific targets.




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