GEA strengthens valve portfolio with acquisition of Hydract
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GEA enters water-hydraulic valve actuation with the acquisition of Hydract. What this means for energy use and process flexibility in brewing, dairy and pharma plants.
Portfolio expansion in valve technology
GEA strengthens valve portfolio with acquisition of Hydract
- Water-hydraulic valve actuators reduce energy demand for valve operation
- Precise regulating function enables continuous inline blending and late product differentiation
- Complements the GEA valve portfolio with a consistent alternative actuation technology for single- and double-seat valves
Düsseldorf (Germany), December 18, 2025 – GEA has signed an agreement to acquire the business of Hydract A/S, a Danish specialist in water-hydraulic process valves. GEA plans to complete the acquisition by end of January 2026. With this transaction, GEA is expanding its valve portfolio for the beverage, dairy and pharmaceutical industries with a technology that can significantly reduce the energy demand required for operating process valves, thereby enabling more efficient, resource-saving process plant concepts.
Water instead of compressed air: Using valve technology to increase efficiency
Hydract valve actuators use water as the actuation medium, eliminating the need for compressed air which is typically provided by energy-intensive compressors for pneumatic valve operations. Water-hydraulic actuators can be regulated at any intermediate position, providing precise, stable flow regulation across the valve.
In reference plants – such as the Carlsberg Brewery in Fredericia, Denmark – hydraulic valves enable continuous inline blending. They accelerate switchovers in batch production, accommodate late product differentiation and optimize resource usage. In this way, they are an important contributor to achieving efficiency and sustainability targets in brewing, dairy and pharmaceutical processes – especially in cases where various products are processed by the same process plant.
Integration into the Valves & Pumps business unit
GEA intends to integrate Hydract’s technology into its Valves & Pumps Business Unit within the new Division Pure Flow Processing. Hydract’s water-hydraulic actuators and valves complement the existing range of hygienic and aseptic single-seat, double-seat and control valves. This is expected to offer customers an additional alternative actuation option when selecting the most suitable valve technology for every application from a single source.
More options for breweries, dairies and the pharmaceutical industry
“With the acquisition of Hydract, we are expanding our valve portfolio with water-hydraulic actuation technology that can significantly reduce the energy demand for operating our process valves,” says Sören de Boon, Senior Vice President of the Valves & Pumps Business Unit at GEA. “We will offer our customers both pneumatic and hydraulic actuation technology for our modular valve program – with uniform interfaces to engineering, automation and service.”
This would make GEA one of the few manufacturers of process valves that offer a consistent alternative actuation technology for single-seat and double-seat valves.
“For Hydract, being acquired by GEA is the next necessary step from technological pioneering to industrial scale,” says Peter Espersen, CEO of Hydract. “In plants such as Carlsberg’s brewery in Fredericia, our valves have demonstrated the benefits of precise hydraulic actuation technology. Through GEA, breweries, dairies, and customers in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide will gain access to our actuation technology. This will turn a specialized solution into a key building block in our customers’ efficiency and modernization projects.”
GEA plans to integrate the Hydract portfolio into its flow components and system solutions serving existing as well as additional applications in breweries, dairies and the pharmaceutical industry.
Picture Overview (Download link for high resolution versions of pictures: https://assets.gea.com/gea/action/directLinkImage?assetId=352029)
Image 1: Hydraulic actuator installed in a process plant: an energy-efficient, digitally controllable alternative to pneumatically actuated single- and double-seat valves. Source: Hydract
Image 2: At the Carlsberg Brewery in Fredericia, Denmark, hydraulic valves from Hydract demonstrate how energy savings and digital process control can be combined in large-scale brewing processes. Source: Hydract
Image 3: Hydract valve actuators use water as the actuation medium, eliminating the need for compressed air. Source: Hydract
NOTES TO EDITORS
About GEA as a valve manufacturer: GEA is a global provider of process technology, components and services for the food, beverage and dairy industries, as well as other process industries. GEA’s valve portfolio includes hygienic and aseptic solutions for safe, efficient and flexible production – from standard globe valves to sophisticated double-seat and control valves for complex process tasks.
About Hydract: Hydract is a technology company based in Holstebro, Denmark, that develops water-hydraulic process valves for the beverage and food industry. The valves use water as the drive medium and can be controlled digitally. The aim is to combine precise positioning movements with lower energy requirements for valve actuation, thereby making production processes more flexible and resource-efficient. Hygienic sanitary process valves – HYDRACT
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
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About GEA
GEA is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services. For instance, every second pharma separator for essential healthcare products such as vaccines or novel biopharmaceuticals is produced by GEA. In food, every fourth package of pasta or every third chicken nugget are processed with GEA technology. With more than 18,000 employees, the group generated revenues of about EUR 5.5 billion in more than 150 countries in the 2024 fiscal year. GEA plants, processes, components and services enhance the efficiency and sustainability of customers’ production. They contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, plastic usage and food waste. In doing so, GEA makes a key contribution toward a sustainable future, in line with the company’s purpose: ”Engineering for a better world.”GEA is listed on the DAX, the STOXX® Europe 600 Index and is also a constituent of the leading sustainability indices DAX 50 ESG, MSCI Global Sustainability and Dow Jones Best-in-Class World.
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