The insolvent German brewery equipment manufacturer Banke GmbH, based in Taufkirchen (Vils), has found a new investor to secure the future of its business operations. The Swiss company Bucher Industries, a publicly listed global specialist in machinery and equipment engineering, will take over the business. As part of the transaction, 16 employees will be retained under a transfer plan. Founder and managing director Friedrich Banke will remain with the company.
Bucher Industries, which employs more than 14,000 people worldwide, operates in a variety of sectors including municipal vehicles, agricultural machinery, hydraulic components, glass container production lines, and beverage processing systems. The group has five divisions with more than 50 production and R&D sites across five continents. Banke will be integrated into the Bucher Unipektin division, specifically into its Bucher Specials unit.
The acquisition follows Banke’s insolvency filing on March 14, 2025 (inside.beer, 18.03.2025). The firm, known for compact brewing and filtration systems like the Sud Sixty Six, suffered from postponed orders, economic uncertainty, and lack of investment. The Landshut District Court had appointed restructuring expert Daniel Barth of Pluta Rechtsanwalts GmbH. as provisional administrator. He has since managed the transition and investor search.
As part of earlier restructuring efforts, Banke had made personnel changes, including appointing Valentin Reuber as head of sales and bringing in Johann Brandstetter. In 2020, the company ended its partnership with engineering firm Braukon and restructured its team.
Banke, now under the umbrella of Bucher Industries, aims to continue supplying innovative brewing technology on the global market and stabilize its operations within a stronger industrial network.
The M&A advisor Dr. Michael Saatmann from INTRION Gesellschaft für Managementberatung mbH assisted in the targeted search for an investor, while legal advice during contract negotiations was provided by Dr. Julius Beck from the law firm Grub Brugger. The legal process of the new investor solution was supported by business law expert Maximilian Wanko.
