BOCHUM, Germany — GEA Refrigeration Technologies announced that it has consolidated its United States-based companies into GEA Refrigeration North America Inc., and has created a central sales organization headquartered in York, Pa. This new company merges the operations of GEA FES Inc., York, Pa., and the sales activities of Aerofreeze Inc., Seattle, and creates a new North American sales organization to support the sales, service, and marketing of all GEA Refrigeration Technologies products.

The U.S. company GEA Intec Inc. in Durham, N.C., will also be merged with GEA Refrigeration North America, while Aerofreeze freezer production in Vancouver, Canada, will remain legally independent.

In addition to the refrigeration products manufactured at the FES Technology Center and the freezer products manufactured at the Aerofreeze Technology Center, GEA Refrigeration North America will consequently also sell and service the products of GEA Intec Inc., with the result that GEA freezers of all types will be offered through the new company. These products will range from tunnel freezers for unpacked or packed food products, up to carton freezers with variable retention times. The company will likewise provide spare parts and service, in addition to other products, including GEA Q-Belt conveyor belts for freezers, screw and reciprocating refrigeration compressor packages, chillers, heat exchangers, and control/automation technology.

“As we continue to integrate technical sales, service, selection, and pricing tools, and central training for all GEA refrigeration and freezing products in North America, we are able to provide refrigeration contractors and end users with an optimum selection of products for all facets of their refrigeration and freezing system needs,” said Gary Schrift, vice president of sales, Food & Beverages, GEA Refrigeration North America. “Our new structure allows for our customers to benefit from a comprehensive and unified sales approach for their refrigeration and food freezing/chilling projects.”

With its consolidation of U.S. sales activities into GEA Refrigeration North America, GEA said it systematically continues implementation of its strategy of simplifying structures and sharpening its corporate profile. These measures became necessary because GEA Group has extensively grown through corporate acquisition to include, over the past five years, the freezer specialists Aerofreeze, Intec, and the European company Eurotek.

For more information, visit www.gearefrigeration.com.

Publication date: 05/28/2012