Swiss giant buys South African company

Swiss-owned HIFI FILTER has acquired FILVENT Holdings, one of the leading players in the filtration market in South Africa.

The Swiss family-owned group founded in 1977 has 50,000 sqm of storage capacity and is the
largest filter distributor in Europe.

The company said that the acquisition, which was made official on November 21 2024, illustrates its desire to expand its international presence, by establishing itself for the first time on the African continent.

FILVENT was founded in 1991 and is based in eMalahleni (Witbank Mpumalanga).

“With this acquisition, the Swiss group expands its network by integrating a key player in the field of industrial and mobile filtration, thus consolidating its growth strategy,” said HIFI FILTER.

“FILVENT, managed by the Vos family, is renowned for its 40 years of experience and expertise in industrial dust collection and the manufacture of air filter housings for internal combustion engines.”

“With 70 employees, a sales office in Johannesburg and an extensive distribution network, FILVENT provides HIFI FILTER with valuable expertise and direct market access covering the Southern African region.

It added that it aims to strengthen its presence and proximity in Southern Africa with the acquisition.

The integration of FILVENT also marks a turning point for the Swiss group, as it will open its first sales outlet outside Europe.

Following the acquisition, the Swiss company now employs 850 people across 8 distribution sites and 2 production facilities worldwide.

“By strengthening its technical expertise and expanding its geographical footprint, HIFI FILTER is opening up new growth prospects in the industrial dust removal solutions market and beyond,” said the group.

“With this new chapter, HIFI FILTER consolidates its position as a global player in filtration and aims to meet the specific needs of its African customers with the same responsiveness and quality that have made it a success in Europe.”

International acquisitions

The latest acquisition follows other international companies buying up local players.

This week it was announced that the UK-based Frasers Group plans to buy the Holdsport Group, which owns Sportsmans Warehouse, Outdoor Warehouse and Shelflife.

Frasers is the owner of the popular UK chains House of Fraser, Sports Direct and many more. It is buying Holdsport from Old Mutual Private Equity (OMPE) and Holdsport’s management.

Holdsport has operations in South Africa and Nambia and is the Frasers Group’s first venture into Southern Africa.

In October, it was also announced that Canadian-based Syntax Systems bought Argon Supply Chain Solutions.

Argon is a South African and UK-based SAP service provider founded in 2011 and focuses on providing Warehouse and Stock Management services. Its customers include Pick n Pay, Sasol, Dis-Chem, Makro and more.

Syntax Systems is a global technology services provider for cloud application implementation and management. It has 50 years of experience and over 900 customers across the globe, with partners including Microsoft and SAP.

“The Argon team is renowned for its market-leading knowledge and Digital Supply Chain excellence through their partnership with SAP,” said Christian Primeau, Global CEO of Syntax.

“By welcoming the Argon team to the growing Syntax family, we are expanding our capabilities and infusing a critical component within our core industry verticals.

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