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Fortifi Food Processing Solutions ("Fortifi"), a global leader in food processing equipment and automation solutions, announced today that it has acquired Nothum Food Processing Systems ("Nothum"). Nothum is a leading designer and manufacturer of batter, tempura, breading and frying lines for primarily protein processing.

"Nothum provides innovative, high-quality equipment backed by strong customer service," said Massimo Bizzi, Chief Executive Officer of Fortifi. "Thanks to Nothum's technology leadership, this acquisition expands Fortifi’s advanced processing offerings and allows us to continue serving our customers with excellence."

Founded in 1971, Nothum is based in Springfield, Mo., and serves the poultry, seafood, vegetables, and alternative protein markets. Nothum joins Bettcher Industries, Frontmatec, MHM Automation, REICH Thermoprozesstechnik GmbH, and other leading brands within Fortifi’s portfolio of food processing and automation solutions.

"The Nothum family and team are extremely excited to join Fortifi," said Robert Nothum, President of Nothum Food Processing Systems. "We are eager to expand our reach and continue to create outstanding food processing equipment as part of the Fortifi family."

All Nothum employees will join Fortifi’s broad-based ownership program, which provides employees the opportunity to participate in the benefits of equity ownership.

Baird served as the exclusive financial advisor to Fortifi in connection with its acquisition of Nothum. William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Nothum.

About Fortifi Food Processing Solutions
Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas and operating worldwide, Fortifi is a leading platform of automated food processing equipment and automation solutions. Fortifi serves customers worldwide through its global manufacturing and service footprint, and drives improvements in yield, productivity, food quality, and worker safety for many of the world’s largest food producers. Fortifi’s portfolio includes Bettcher Industries, a manufacturer of protein processing tools, machinery, and associated aftermarket parts; Frontmatec, a full-line supplier of automated red meat processing equipment; MHM Automation, a New Zealand-based provider of automated processing and material handling solutions; and REICH Thermoprozesstechnik GmbH, a Germany-based supplier of thermoprocessing system. For more information, please visit: www.FortifiFoodSolutions.com.

Acquisition of MHM Automation expands solutions offering and global footprint
 
THE WOODLANDS, Tex., March 18, 2024 – Fortifi Food Processing Solutions (“Fortifi”), a leading platform of food processing equipment and automation solutions, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of REICH Thermoprozesstechnik GmbH ("REICH"), a leader in thermoprocessing systems for red meat, fish, poultry, cheese, pet food, and other food markets.

"REICH leads the further processing industry in smoking and cooking systems," said Massimo Bizzi, Chief Executive Officer of Fortifi. "This acquisition bolsters Fortifi's offerings across food processing and enables us to offer a more comprehensive solution to our customers." REICH joins a platform that includes other leading brands, such as Bettcher Industries, Frontmatec, and MHM Automation. Operating in more than 15 countries spanning five continents, Fortifi provides a broad range of solutions across the food industry including applications in protein, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. "All of us at REICH are delighted to join the Fortifi platform,” said Tobias Layer, Chief Executive Officer of REICH. "We look forward to leveraging our shared commitment to customer service and innovation and drive continued growth for both businesses.” In conjunction with the transaction, all REICH employees will join Fortifi’s broad-based ownership program that provides the opportunity to participate in the benefits of equity ownership.

About Fortifi Food Processing Solutions
Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas and operating across more than 15 countries, Fortifi is a leading platform of automated food processing equipment and automation solutions. Fortifi serves customers worldwide through its global manufacturing and service footprint, and drives improvements in yield, productivity, food quality, and worker safety for many of the world’s largest food producers. Fortifi’s portfolio includes Bettcher Industries, a manufacturer of protein processing tools, machinery, and associated aftermarket parts; Frontmatec, a full-line supplier of automated red meat processing equipment; and MHM Automation, a New Zealand-based provider of automated processing and material handling solutions. For more information, please visit: www.FortifiFoodSolutions.com.

Click here to learn more. 
 

Acquisition of MHM Automation expands solutions offering and global footprint
 
THE WOODLANDS, Tex., March 5, 2024 – Fortifi Food Processing Solutions (“Fortifi”), today announces its launch as a unified platform of global leading brands and products within food processing equipment and automation solutions. Operating in more than 15 countries spanning five continents, Fortifi provides a broad range of solutions across the food industry including applications in protein, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. Fortifi’s technologies enhance productivity, maximize yield, and improve worker safety for customers around the world.

“Fortifi’s strategy is centered around a relentless focus on innovation, unparalleled customer service, and expansion through continuous improvement and complementary acquisitions of other leading brands and capabilities,” said CEO Massimo Bizzi. “As a strategic partner to our customers, we strive to offer a full portfolio of solutions across the food processing value chain.”

The closing of the acquisition of MHM Automation (“MHM”), a New Zealand-based provider of post-harvest processing, protein processing, and packaging solutions, further strengthens Fortifi’s capabilities with innovative, reliable systems and equipment that improve safety, optimize product quality, and extend our automation and robotics capabilities. Fortifi has also signed definitive agreements to acquire LIMA France (“LIMA”), a France-based supplier of meat-bone separators, deboners and grinders-desinewers, and Reich Thermoprozesstechnik GmbH (“Reich”), the oldest Germany-based manufacturer of thermoprocessing food systems, both of which are expected to join Fortifi in the first half of 2024 subject to customary regulatory approvals.

The formation of Fortifi began in 2021 when investment funds affiliated with KKR, a leading global investment firm, acquired Bettcher Industries, a leading provider of innovative protein processing tools. The following year, Bettcher acquired Frontmatec, a global supplier of automated pork and beef processing equipment, forming an end-to-end provider of protein processing solutions. MHM adds capabilities across new food processing segments and applications, including dairy and fruits and vegetables, and further expands Fortifi’s global reach by establishing an even stronger local presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

"I am thrilled to welcome MHM into the Fortifi portfolio, and I look forward to welcoming LIMA and Reich as well,” said Dan Daniel, Chairman of the Board of Fortifi. “The global footprint, technologies, and expertise these brands bring will help Fortifi continue to serve its customers with excellence.”

All employees of MHM, Reich and LIMA will join the existing Fortifi team as participants in a broad-based ownership program that provides all Fortifi employees the opportunity to participate in the benefits of equity ownership. This strategy is based on the belief that employee engagement is a key driver in building stronger companies. Since 2011, KKR portfolio companies have awarded billions of dollars of total equity value to over 60,000 non-management employees across more than 40 companies.

About Fortifi Food Processing Solutions
Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas and operating across more than 15 countries, Fortifi is a leading platform of automated food processing equipment and automation solutions. Fortifi serves customers worldwide through its global manufacturing and service footprint, and drives improvements in yield, productivity, food quality, and worker safety for many of the world’s largest food producers. Fortifi’s portfolio includes Bettcher Industries, a manufacturer of protein processing tools, machinery, and associated aftermarket parts; Frontmatec, a full-line supplier of automated red meat processing equipment; and MHM Automation, a New Zealand-based provider of automated processing and material handling solutions. For more information, please visit: www.FortifiFoodSolutions.com.

Click here to learn more. 
 

Birmingham, Ohio & Kolding, Denmark, June 5, 2023 – The KKR backed food processing automation platform that today includes Bettcher Industries (“Bettcher”) and Frontmatec announced that Massimo Bizzi has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Josh Stiever and Allan Kristensen will continue in their roles as President of Bettcher and CEO of Frontmatec, with both now reporting into Mr. Bizzi.

Dan Daniel, Chairman of Bettcher and Executive Advisor to KKR, said, “Massimo’s leadership and growth mindset, combined with Bettcher and Frontmatec’s technical capabilities, will help us continue to unlock value for our customers, employees and other stakeholders. I am thrilled to work with Massimo and all of the employee owners at Bettcher and Frontmatec to continue driving growth and innovation for our customers as we build the industry’s leading food processing automation platform.”

Mr. Bizzi joins Bettcher and Frontmatec after nearly 20 years of industrial manufacturing experience, including more than 10 years leading multinational businesses across a wide range of end markets in Europe, the U.S., the Middle East, and Asia. He previously held multiple roles at John Zink and Koch-Glitsch, before serving most recently as President and Chief Operating Officer at Howden. Massimo’s rich track record of commercial acceleration and global operational experience will be critical to Bettcher and Frontmatec’s future success.

“It is an honor to join this organization and work alongside Dan and the KKR team to build the industry’s leading food processing automation platform. I look forward to serving as the CEO of this organization, which today has two leaders in the protein processing and automation space,” says Massimo Bizzi. “We have an incredible opportunity to grow these businesses and expand our presence in other segments, while continuing to help our customers enhance labor productivity, generate better yield, and improve worker safety. I am truly excited to partner with the rest of the leadership team and all employees to build on our strong customer relationships and culture of innovation, as we add new capabilities and growth vectors through acquisitions of complementary businesses.”

About Bettcher Industries
Headquartered in Birmingham, Ohio, Bettcher is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative equipment in the food processing and medical device industries. The Bettcher portfolio includes the following: Bettcher, a designer and manufacturer of handheld trimmers, tools, and cutting consumables for all protein applications; Cantrell-Gainco, a manufacturer of processing equipment and yield enhancement and yield tracking systems for various protein operations; ICB Greenline, an aftermarket replacement parts and services company focused on poultry processing; and Exsurco, a manufacturer of medical devices and consumables. For more information, please visit https://www.bettcher.com/en

About Frontmatec
Headquartered in Kolding, Denmark, Frontmatec is a leader in end-to-end automated solutions for the red meat processing industry. Frontmatec serves customers worldwide through its global manufacturing and service footprint, including many of the world’s largest red meat processors. It is a full-line supplier of processing equipment, parts and services, instruments as well as controls software, which help solve key issues pertaining to yield, health and safety, animal welfare, food quality and more. In 2022, Frontmatec joined forces with Bettcher Industries, a Unites States-based leading developer and manufacturer of innovative equipment in the food processing and medical device industries.  For more information, please visit: https://www.frontmatec.com/en.

Cleveland Magazine has named Tim Swanson a Cleveland 500 leader for a second year in a row!.  The Cleveland 500 listing includes leaders, doers, visionaries and idea generators who help shape the city and the community.  The listing encompasses leaders in the five-county Cleveland metropolitan area.
 
Tim Swanson is among a group of several manufacturing leaders named to the Cleveland 500 list.  As CEO of Bettcher Industries, he leads a company with Northeast Ohio roots that run deep.  For decades Bettcher has been a major Cleveland-area employer and a committed corporate citizen. Click HERE to read the full publication.
 

November 3, 2021 - All Employees to Become Owners in the Company

KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which KKR will acquire Bettcher Industries and associated aftermarket parts and consumables, from MPE Partners.

Click HERE to read the Bettcher release.
Click HERE to read the KKR release.