In a move that combines more than 100 years of conveyance expertise, Dorner Holding Co., the Hartland, Wis.-based parent company of Dorner Mfg. Corp., FlexMove and Geppert-Band GmbH, announced plans to merge the three entities into one consolidated brand—Dorner.

The new Dorner boasts a global workforce of more than 400 employees, and brings a diverse conveyor automation product line and extensive application knowledge to industries around the world. The headquarters will remain in Hartland, with manufacturing facilities in Germany, Malaysia and Mexico, and a sales and engineering office in Canada.

“Dorner has been integrating the various locations over the last few years, and the new Dorner is the next step in that process,” says Terry Schadeberg, president and CEO. “Consolidating the brands allows us to focus our marketing efforts, streamline our customer support and provide a unified product line around the world. We’re excited to move forward as one unified global company that’s transforming conveyor automation.”

In 2012, Dorner was sold to a private equity firm, and last year, was sold again to EQT Partners, Inc., New York.

FlexMove, Penang, Malaysia, is a flexible chain conveyor system and components manufacturer for food, beverage, automotive, electronic and other industries. FlexMove joined Dorner Holding in December 2015, and has since been manufacturing and selling Dorner conveyor lines, as well as supplying product to Dorner’s other locations. The FlexMove product line will continue to be offered globally, with assembly in Malaysia, United States, Germany and Mexico. 

Geppert-Band GmbH, based in Jülich, Germany, is a belt and modular belt conveyor manufacturer. The company joined Dorner Holding in 2016.

Dorner also maintains a sales office in Burlington, Canada, and recently began manufacturing operations in Guadalajara, Mexico, following an acquisition of Sautem in 2017.

Brand merger of the three companies is in its initial stages, and will take several months to complete.