Atlas Copco strengthens its presence in the Balkans

Stockholm, Sweden, August 23: Atlas Copco is opening two new customer centers in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina through the acquisition of three construction and mining equipment distributors, to support the fast growth in the region. The opening of the new customer centers will be October 1, 2007.

The new customer center in Croatia, which is created through acquiring the assets of Scandkop d.o.o. and Teracop d.o.o., will have its headquarters in Zagreb. The Bosnia-Herzegovina customer center will be opened following the purchase of AC Oprema, based in Sarajevo.

“These acquisitions will provide us direct access to an important region where we previously haven’t had any sales presence of our own,” says Björn Rosengren, President, Atlas Copco Construction and Mining Technique. “They will present good opportunities for growth, particularly in the construction industry as there is great focus on infrastructure development in the area.”

Scandkop has supplied drilling equipment and consumables for Atlas Copco since 1993, while Teracop is a distributor for the Construction Tools division since 1992. AC Oprema is a former Scandkop branch office. The acquired businesses have a total of 22 employees.

Atlas Copco’s existing sales organization in the region, which includes a customer center for the Compressor Technique business area in Croatia, will not be affected by the transactions.