Schaeffler buys French condition monitoring specialist
03/05/2023
Schaeffler is buying the French condition monitoring specialist Eco-Adapt SAS to strengthen its position in the field of digital predictive maintenance and to expand its industrial portfolio. The terms of the deal have not been released.
Eco-Adapt, established in 2012 with headquarters in Paris, France, combines smart hardware and data analytics to analyse and optimise energy consumption and to offer predictive maintenance for electrical rotating machines by analysing their electrical signals. Its products are used by hundreds of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies, as well as in commercial buildings. 
The French business will complement Schaeffler’s existing Optime condition monitoring service, which offers predictive maintenance for industrial machines by analysing their vibration and temperature signals. Schaeffler claims that Eco-Adapt’s use of electrical signal analysis will provide additional protection against potential failures. Users will be able to cover both mechanical and electrical issues with a single integrated predictive maintenance system.
Eco-Adapt’s product line also includes a cloud-based technology that uses revolutionary multi-circuit meters to make industrial
sub-metering easier and provides bespoke analytics and dashboards. The data can be used to optimise energy consumption and to find the optimum operating points of machines used in energy-intensive industries such as cement, steel and pulp and paper.
Rauli Hantikainen, Head of Schaeffler’s Lifetime Solutions business, said: “Condition monitoring of all critical powertrain components is a challenge for our customers in all industrial sectors. Our customers need scalable and holistic monitoring solutions that provide detailed insights into the condition of the mechanical parts, as well as the electrical components of electric motors in rotating machines. By working with Eco-Adapt, we can offer our customers top-quality services and solutions for bearings and electric powertrain components, throughout the entire lifecycle.”
Schaeffler is buying 100% of Eco-Adapt’s shares. The deal is due to close in the first half of 2023. Laurent Laparra, Eco-Adapt CEO, said: “Schaeffler is the ideal owner and strategic partner for us to continue our successful course in the future. Its expertise in industrial automation will allow us to scale-up our offering and win many new customers. By combining our strengths in research and development (R&D), we will be able to launch promising new products in the field of innovative condition monitoring onto the market.”
Schaeffler claims that the acquisition of Eco-Adapt is a strategic step to strengthen its Lifetime Solutions portfolio of asset lifecycle products and services. It is aiming to offer plant operators improved planning certainty by reducing unscheduled downtime, extending bearing and machine service lives, enhancing sustainability and improving reliability.
As part of this strategy, Schaeffler also acquired Bega International, which manufactures tools for mounting and dismounting rolling bearings, in 2021.
The Lifetime Solutions business offers technologies and services to maintain industrial machines throughout their operating lives, from heating devices and alignment tools to automated lubricators.
