© Eberspächer

It also works the other way round: While mostly large US corporations take over foreign companies, in this case it is a German company that has bought up ViCTORi, LLC. At the beginning of July, the Eberspächer Group announced that it had acquired 100 per cent of the North American compressor manufacturer from Boulder, Colorado. With this step, the automotive supplier from Esslingen secured access to the worldwide hydrogen and fuel cell market.

ViCTORi, better known as Vairex air systems, develops and produces air compressors that are used, among other things, in fuel cells to supply the cathode side with gas. According to Martin Peters, managing partner of Eberspächer, the compressor is “a key component for the performance of fuel cells and contributes significantly to the efficiency, optimal design and durability of the overall system”. He went on to explain: “We are deliberately investing in a market of the future and want to grow purposefully with hydrogen and fuel cell technology.” Ski Milburn, who is to remain CEO of Vairex air systems, said: “The planned new products can be introduced faster than would have been possible for us alone.” The new President of Vairex will be Dr. Massimo Venturi.