IMS buys stake in Secopta to push into automated scrap analysis
What's the deal? IMS MesssystemeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → GmbH has acquired a stake in Secopta analytics GmbHDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the two German firms said, with the combined business rebranding as IMS Secopta GmbH. The deal, completed in June 2026, pairs IMS's high-precision measuring and inspection systems with Secopta's material analysis technology.
What each side brings: IMS supplies high-precision measuring and inspection systems for the aluminium, steel, and non-ferrous metal industries. Secopta builds analytical solutions based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), used across metals, recycling and waste recovery, raw materials, glass, and mining.
Why now? The expansion of electric steel production and growing scrap recycling are driving demand for precise electromagnetic, optical, and radiometric inspection systems, especially for sorting construction waste and scrap. IMS says the combined firm is positioned to meet that demand.
What's the endgame? IMS is building out automated material analysis, and Secopta gives it a foothold. "Precise, early-stage characterisation of scrap is a key prerequisite for stable production processes and the targeted production of alloys," said Richard Rak, managing director of IMS. The investment strengthens its technology "both within and beyond the metal industry."
What changes for customers? Secopta gains access to IMS's decades of sensor-system experience and global service network. Christian Bohling, managing director of Secopta, said the tie-up lets the firm support international customers "even more efficiently, quickly and to the highest professional standard in future."
The signal: As electric arc furnaces and recycling reshape metals production, accurate scrap characterisation is becoming central to alloy quality. The deal is a bet that sensor makers and analytics specialists are stronger combined than apart.
Read more: Foundry-Planet
