Denmark firm buys bolt stunning specialist

Accles & Shelvoke has been manufacturing in Birmingham, UK, for more than 100 years and claims to be seeing increased international demand for its cartridge powered tools.

Frontmatec said its ownership of Accles & Shelvoke would support the business' growth and the development of new products and markets, boosting its penetration of the global marketplace.

Joe Holland, who became general manager of Accles & Shelvoke just over a year ago, is lined up to take full control of the captive bolt equipment manufacturing company. He will report directly to the Frontmatec management board.

"We sell our products all over the world, both direct to end-users and through a network of over 40 distributors serving over 60 countries,"​ said Holland.

Expanding​

"In recent months, we have been focusing on expanding our presence globally by signing new distributors, in addition to building our product range of reliable and popular tools. Our new owners will help develop and build the company through continued investment, and I am excited to be leading the business in achieving that goal."​

Speaking about the changes to the business set-up, Joe added: "I do not expect any immediate changes to our current distributor arrangements, so it will be business as usual for our thousands of customers around the world."​

Accles & Shelvoke was formerly part of the Minworth-based Eley Group, which makes 22LR ammunition used in target shooting by competitors including Olympic-standard athletes. The business supplies the cartridges to Accles & Shelvoke for its captive bolt equipment.

Slaughter​

Frontmatec is a global supplier of advanced slaughter lines and other production equipment to major producers such as Tönnies, Groupe Bigard, WH Foods, Tyson Foods, Miratorg and Danish Crown. It has operations in Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, the US and China.

With the purchase of Accles & Shelvoke, Frontmatec said it aimed to expand its offering of slaughterhouse equipment.

Frontmatec CEO Henrik Andersen said: "Frontmatec develops world-leading customised solutions for automation in the food industry, other hygiene-sensitive industries and the utilities industry.

"Our ambition is to offer a full product and service offering to the industry. Accles & Shelvoke is a fantastic addition to our business with an existing large share of the global captive bolt equipment market, which we aim to develop further."