21.07.2023

Mediaco moves into Switzerland

French crane and access rental company Mediaco has acquired Swiss crane and heavy transport company Matthey-Petit Levage.

The move, part of Mediaco’s ongoing international growth strategy, provides the French company with a strong foothold in Switzerland with two locations - Vufflens-la-Ville on the western edge of Lausanne and Aïre on the west side of Geneva – and an existing fleet of 110 pieces of equipment, including 25 cranes ranging from 40 tonnes to a 500 tonne Terex AC500, along with four Liebherr MK self-erecting mobile tower cranes including MK88 to MK140 and two six axle Spierings AT6. Other equipment includes 23 tractor units and 52 heavy trailers for exceptional transport, and 11 heavy loader cranes up to 120 tonne/metres. Revenues are on the region of €15 million. Chief executive Claude Matthey will remain with the business as a director. No details of the transaction have been released.
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Petit cranes at work

A bit of history
The road transport business Matthey Transfers was founded by Arthur Matthey in 1927, diversifying into Lifting and heavy haulage with the arrival of the second generation in the form of Claude Matthey in 1982. This was followed by the acquisition of Petit Levage in 1993.
Petit was established as a mobile crane and lifting specialist by Georges Petit in 1985, in the town of Bossonnens - between Lausanne and Montreux. Petit died in 1991 leading to the sale of the busienss to Matthey two years later.

Mediaco also has four locations in Germany, having entered the market in 2015, it is now looking to up the pace of international expansion and has a plan to purchase five new cranes between 60 and 450 tones, along with three more heavy lift articulating loader cranes up to 145 tonne/metres, and two more self-erecting mobile tower cranes for the newly acquired business for delivery in 2024. As part of the expansion, the company also planning to hire 20 more members of staff over the next 18 months.

Marseille based Mediaco was founded by Jean-Jacques Vernazza in 1942, who built it into a successful maritime freight and forwarding business. In 1973 his son Christian-Jacques formed the crane division, with the purchase of a 72 tonne Grove TM800 - his first crane. He went on to build the business into a world class international company with a strong reputation, adding a substantial aerial lift fleet along the way. Today the company operates from 80 locations in France with a fleet of 3,000 machines, of which 830 are cranes from 30 to 1,200 tonnes. Revenues are in the region of €390 million, of which €347 million are generated by lifting and material handling.