Bosch plans to acquire Elpro Group AG

Frankfurt am Main - Bosch Service Solutions, a leading provider of technology-based services, plans to acquire Elpro Group AG, headquartered in Buchs, Switzerland. Founded in 1986, the company develops monitoring solutions for the pharmaceutical, biotech, life science and healthcare industries. This includes, for example, uninterrupted monitoring of the cold chain for pharmaceuticals. With the acquisition of the Elpro Group, Bosch Service Solutions is expanding its portfolio and entering the pharmaceutical services sector. “The Elpro Group has deep industry knowledge and innovative strength in the development and application of monitoring solutions. These are implemented along the entire pharmaceutical supply chain and meet the highest quality standards,” says Henning von Boxberg, President of the Board of Management of Bosch Service Solutions. The company employs 220 people and has sales offices in Europe, North America, and Singapore. Bosch and Elpro signed agreements on the planned acquisition on December 15, 2021. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.

Bosch Service Solutions has been offering monitoring solutions for e.g. elevators, heating systems, and security transport since the 80s. The technologies of the Elpro Group expand the portfolio to include monitoring services for sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals. “Bosch is an excellent partner for us. We are united by a promise of high quality and technology-based solutions. The global presence of Bosch Service Solutions helps expand Elpro’s portfolio internationally, open up additional markets and implement new service offerings,” says Philipp Osl, CEO of the Elpro Group.

Safe monitoring of sensitive goods

Drugs are sensitive products. Temperature, humidity, and light can affect their quality. Certain medicines, such as vaccines, must be refrigerated throughout the supply chain: from manufacturer through wholesaler, pharmacy and hospital to the patient. If a cold chain is interrupted, medicines are at risk of becoming unusable and losing their effectiveness. Elpro has developed technologies that monitor the entire process. For this, the company uses so-called data loggers. These are devices for stationary or mobile use, which monitor temperature, humidity, light, and other environmental conditions with the help of sensors. If specifications and guidelines are not adhered to, this is recorded automatically. The data loggers transfer this information to software that immediately reports and documents critical deviations and makes the data available to manufacturers.

New service options for Elpro customers

Until now, Elpro has focused on identifying and documenting deviations in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Bosch Service Solutions operates the largest private security control center network in Europe. This makes it possible not only to detect malfunctions and emergencies, but also to coordinate remedial actions. Elpro’s service portfolio will be expanded to include this service competence in the future. New and innovative service models can result for participants of the pharmaceutical supply chain.