KECK ACQUIRES IES IN CANADA

In the course of its international strategy, KECK takes on the Canadian trade fair construction company IES

The increasing demand in the US for highly automated and, at the same time, reliable equipment suits German engineering perfectly. This enables an approach for the global growth strategy of many German companies and the integration of all markets. Markus Futterer, who is responsible for Strategy and Consulting, considers it the right time to expand KECK westward:

On 12/9/2018, KECK GmbH acquired International Exhibition Services Inc. (IES) near Vancouver, Canada.
Ulrich Jaeckel, founder and current owner of IES, managed his company in German style, and his dependability over the last few years has made him KECK´s premium partner for trade fair stands in the US.

Robert Koenig, Business Unit Management of KECK Brand Worlds and Managing Director of KECK ASIA, knows through his international experience what specific demands trade fair projects make in the US: “When brand staging in the US, you face a wide range of regulations. Planning trade fair projects is made difficult by the complex trade union structures. This can cause costs to soar unexpectedly.

In acquiring IES, and with the insider expertise of its employees, KECK is, in future, also able to guarantee its customers an assured quality and planning of their brand showcasing in North America. ZF Friedrichshafen, with its trade fair projects in North America, is among the customers of IES. Additional synergy effects arise here since KECK is responsible for ZF brand staging in Europe and Asia. Markus Futterer has personally taken over the role of new CEO. The only other change is taking Martin Wallrath on board as Operations Manager. During the last three years, he was mainly responsible for the American market in Robert Koenig’s team. Success does not simply come from the markets alone, but from the people who are intimately familiar with them. KECK is herewith developing into an international corporation.