Konecranes acquired a Spanish crane and service company and a Ukrainian service company this month.

The acquisition values for both companies were undisclosed.

Spanish company Ausió Sistemas de Elevación SL (Ausió) specialises in manufacturing, sales and service of industrial cranes and hoists. The company employs 100 people and had net sales of EUR17 million (USD26.5 million) last financial year.

Its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities are located in Vic, north west of Barcelona. The company produces about 600 cranes a year. Sales and service are handled through its service outlets and sales network.

Pekka Päkillä, Konecranes' standard lifting president, says Ausió and another recently acquired company, Eydimen 2000 SL, give the group good access to Catalonia and the Basque region, Spain's important crane markets.

"Following this acquisition, Konecranes will be able to market its entire product portfolio in Spain," Päkillä says, adding that the acquisition complements the group's marketing network.

Ukrainian service company Craneservice Ukraine, headquartered in Odessa, has 140 employees and annual sales of over EUR5 million (USD7.8 million).

It operates in the major ports of Ukraine like Mariupol, Iljichevsk and Odessa, servicing and modernising all crane brands in the region. The company has a skill set both in mechanics and electronics, and has also entered the market of maintaining Electrical Overhead Travelling (EOT) cranes.

The acquired unit will strengthen Konecranes' position in Ukraine, especially in port crane maintenance, says Seppo Hoppu, Konecranes' director, East Europe. Craneservice will also serve as a base for skilled technicians and form a support unit for Konecranes' activities in Russian-speaking areas.