The
Haimer Group has completed a long-planned generational transition, with company ownership passing to the second generation of the founding family and ensuring the German manufacturing specialist remains 100% family-owned.
As of 1 August 2026, siblings Andreas and Kathrin Haimer assumed responsibility as managing directors and shareholders following the transfer of shares from founders Claudia and Franz Haimer. The move marked the culmination of a succession plan developed over many years to secure the long-term future of the owner-managed business.
Headquartered in Igenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Haimer has grown from its founding in 1977 into a globally recognised manufacturer of shrink-fit and balancing technology, toolholders and presetting machines, while also establishing itself as a provider of integrated tool management solutions for the machine tool sector.
Although ownership has now passed to the second generation, Claudia and Franz Haimer will remain operationally active within the management team until the end of 2027 to oversee the handover process. They will then continue to support the business through a newly established advisory board.
Claudia Haimer, said: “For us, this step is a very emotional moment as we place our life's work in the hands of our children. At the same time, the handover is an important milestone in the development of our family business.
“Andreas and Kathrin are closely connected to Haimer for many years and have already successfully assumed responsibility in the management team. This ensures the continuity of our values, our technological expertise and our long-term strategy.”
The transfer has reinforced Haimer’s position as an independent family-owned manufacturer and underlined its commitment to developing the company’s ‘Tool Room of the Future’ concept, designed to improve efficiency, digitalisation and automation throughout the tooling process.
The company says this approach addresses many of the challenges facing manufacturers today, including rising cost pressures, skills shortages and the need to accelerate digital transformation. Haimer’s technologies are intended to help users improve machining precision, process reliability and productivity, while enabling digitised shopfloors and automated tool assembly operations.
The ownership transition also signalled a commitment to strengthening the company's system expertise and advancing its ‘Quality Wins’ philosophy. Despite uncertain conditions across the global metalworking sector, Haimer said remaining under full family ownership will allow it to maintain long-term decision-making for the benefit of customers, employees and partners.
Both Andreas and Kathrin Haimer have already spent many years in management positions within the business and formed part of the leadership team alongside the founders. As managing partners, they will continue the company’s growth strategy while driving further developments in digitalisation, automation and sustainability.
Future plans include expanding digital products, networked tool room solutions and automated cells for shrinking, presetting and balancing applications.
Kathrin Haimer highlighted the wider responsibilities attached to family ownership.
She said: “As a family-owned company, we bear responsibility - for the future of our business, for our employees, for the education of young people as apprentices, and for our local communities.
“Our task is to combine the values that Haimer has stood for over decades with innovative strength and cutting-edge technology. In this way, we aim to actively shape the future of our company - as a reliable partner for our customers and an attractive employer.”
Andreas Haimer added: “We are a manufacturing company ourselves, with more than 200 machine tools and an annual metal cutting volume of around 5,000 tonnes - so we know from our own experience just how crucial stable, productive processes and well-thought-out tool management are.
“That is precisely why we are consistently investing in digitisation and automation: from AI-capable shrink fit, balancing and presetting machines through our ‘Tool Room of the Future’ concept to global cooperation with machine tool builders where our networked solutions are deployed in their plants worldwide.
“The generational change gives us the entrepreneurial freedom to further expand this long-term strategy and to strengthen our role as a technology leader in the periphery around the machine tool and in the networking of the shopfloor.”
Reflecting on the company’s development and the successful succession process, Franz Haimer paid tribute to the workforce that has helped build the business over nearly five decades.
He said: “The success of Haimer is inseparably linked to the commitment of our team around the world. The fact that we can now place our Group in the hands of our children and at the same time see a strong team carrying the company is, for us, the best foundation for a successful future.
“As a family-owned company that can act independently of corporate groups and in a sustainable manner for the benefit of our customers, we are currently seeing very strong demand from the semiconductor, aerospace, space, defence and energy industries for our integrated tool room solutions.
“With these solutions, companies that want - and need - to prepare for the future can turn a previously unorganised tool assembly as a black box into a transparent, data-driven tool setup and presetting process, enabling production to run 24/7 at the highest levels of automation.”
Pic: (from left) Andreas Haimer, Kathrin Haimer, Claudia Haimer and Franz Haimer.