PERI acquires majority stake in KERN Tunneltechnik SA

Weißenhorn, Lugano. With effect from 7 December 2023, PERI SE acquired a majority stake in KERN Tunneltechnik SA, based in Lugano (Switzerland). 

The KERN Group currently has around 80 employees at three locations and is a leading provider of secondary lining solutions for tunnelling projects - the production of in-situ concrete inner shells for the construction of tunnels using the mining method. The KERN Group's main markets are the DACH region, the UK and the USA. In addition to the construction of special machines, KERN offers complete logistics solutions and engineering services for more complex construction projects with a high degree of engineering expertise.

The company will continue to operate as an independent unit within the PERI Group under its current management, brand and company name. All KERN employees will be taken over and all company locations will be retained.

For many years, PERI has been one of the technical leader companies for formwork solutions in the field of standard and special tunnel projects. Both companies share the goal of rationalising customers' construction processes and thus making construction safer and more economical.   

In the course of the takeover by PERI, the WALO Group (WALO International AG, Zurich, Switzerland) is selling its shares in the KERN Group. As a strategic investor, the company had intensively supported and accompanied KERN's success story since 2017. KERN and WALO will continue their successful co-operation in the field of further and new developments of construction and logistics machines with a strategic partnership in the future.

"The merger with PERI opens up new perspectives for both companies and allows us to be stronger on the market in the future - worldwide. This means that both we and PERI can place our service to customers on an even broader basis and fulfil further requirements," says Reiner Kern, CEO of KERN Tunneltechnik SA.

"The acquisition of KERN Tunneltechnik is an important step in broadening our engineering expertise in infrastructure construction," says PERI CEO Christian Schwörer. "This brings together two strong partners who complement each other perfectly. With this merger, we are creating an international solution provider in tunnelling technology for our customers."