Goldschmidt Thermit Group Acquires Inspection Technology Specialist PLR
The Goldschmidt Thermit Group with headquarters in Leipzig continues to pursue its global growth strategy and has further expanded its product range in the area of measurement and inspection technology for the railway sector. In this context, the leading global company in the field of joint welding and maintenance of railway systems has now acquired PLR Prüftechnik Linke & Rühe GmbH (PLR), the technological leader in the field of eddy current and ultrasonic inspection for the railway sector which is based in Magdeburg.
Dr. Hans-Jürgen Mundinger, CEO of the Goldschmidt Thermit Group, explains:
In the railway sector there is a global demand for modern solutions. PLR brings extensive know-how in the field of non-destructive testing of rail infrastructure to the Goldschmidt Thermit Group. This excellently complements our product portfolio in the area of measurement technology. The product range of PLR fits in perfectly with our digital strategy. This is Industry 4.0 “Made in Germany”, which is appreciated by customers in Europe, China and the USA.
We are very happy that in future the employees of PLR will make their innovative engineering available to customers under the flag of the Goldschmidt Thermit Group.
The acquisition of PLR allows the Goldschmidt Thermit Group to offer customers a one-stop shop for all their required technology in the field of measurement and inspection technology for the analysis of their railway network.
The combination of the digital acquisition of measurement and inspection data used to determine and localize rail defects gives the Goldschmidt Thermit Group new momentum in the area of predictive maintenance.
Sven Rühe, Managing Director of PLR, emphasizes:
The global network of the Goldschmidt Thermit Group enables us to open up new markets and achieve international growth. Our high-tech solutions in the area of ultrasonic and eddy current inspection technology perfectly complement the areas of measurement technology and the range of vehicles of the Goldschmidt Thermit Group.
In addition to the railway industry, the products and services of PLR also successfully find application in the automotive industry, aerospace and the field of mechanical engineering. In the area of inspection services a highly qualified team of engineers and technicians in the industrial sector of machine and plant construction carry out non-destructive inspections according to international standards. In the area of inspection technology the focus is on the development, production and servicing of automated rail inspection systems including specific analysis and evaluation software and also inspection equipment and sensors according to customer-specific requirements. In an accredited laboratory eddy current and ultrasonic inspection devices are examined along with portable mobile devices and stationary magnetization devices for conformity to the standard requirements and manufacturer specifications.
In 1990 PLR was one of the first industrial companies to be founded in Magdeburg after the reunification of Germany. In the meantime, cooperation with research institutes and customized research and development contracts has enabled the company to become a well-known developer and manufacturer of ultrasonic and eddy current devices. A significant result of this development is that PLR has become the sole supplier of ultrasonic and eddy current technology for inspection trains of the German railways (Deutsche Bahn AG) and also become the European market leader for the equipping of rail maintenance devices which use eddy current technology.
In cooperation with the German Society for Non-Destructive Testing (DGZfP), in the DGZfP training center in Magdeburg, PLR offers a wide range of courses for the qualification of technical personnel acc. to DIN EN ISO 9712 in the different processes and qualification levels of non-destructive testing.
About the Goldschmidt Thermit Group
The Goldschmidt Thermit Group is a worldwide leader in the area of joint welding and the servicing and maintenance of rail systems. The roots of the company go back to the invention of the Thermit® process by Prof. Hans Goldschmidt at the end of the 19th century. Today the Goldschmidt Thermit Group consists of 24 medium-sized individual companies which serve the international growth market for rail infrastructure. The company has approx. 980 employees and maintains an international network of production and service locations. In 2017 the group achieved a consolidated turnover of more than 158 million euros.
Further information is available at www.goldschmidt-thermit.com.
