Kone expands its presence in northern Germany

Kone’s acquisition spree continues. Through its subsidiary M.S. Aufzüge, the Finnish lift manufacturer has acquired a medium-sized company from the north of Germany.

On 1 June 2026, Kone acquired the Hamburg-based company unica Aufzüge through its subsidiary M.S. Aufzüge. According to a statement from Kone in response to an enquiry from our editorial team, the full transfer of operations is planned for 1 August 2026. This means that the company, based in the Borstel district of Hamburg, will no longer continue as a separate brand. Marcus Will and Sascha Seiß are taking over from the previous unica managing directors, Dirk Peter and Timo Tiedemann-Ketfi, at the helm of the lift manufacturer.

The integration of unica Aufzüge GmbH, which, according to its own information, operates "lifts from the Lüneburg Heath and Hamburg, as well as from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein", is intended to strengthen the service business in the greater Hamburg area. Existing customer relationships and service contracts are to be maintained. Kone has not provided any details regarding the number of employees taken on or the number of systems managed.

"The merger underlines Kone’s strategic focus on sustainably developing its service business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by pooling regional strengths. The merger of unica with M.S. Aufzüge is a further compelling example of this," comments Sascha Seiß, Director of Subsidiaries & Mergers & Acquisitions at Kone DACH, on the latest acquisition.

Kone acquisitions

M.S. Aufzüge, based in Möhnsen (Schleswig-Holstein), currently employs 160 staff, according to its own figures. In April 2023, Matthias Schernikau sold his company M.S. Aufzüge to Kone. Just a few months later – on 1 July 2023 – the formal transition from ATB Aufzugtechnik Berlin to M.S. Aufzüge took place. Both companies continue to operate under their own brands and under the leadership of Marcus Will and Sascha Seiß.

Kone had most recently caused a stir in the lift industry when it announced the takeover of competitor TK Elevator in April 2026 (see the online article "Kone and TK Elevator plan to merge").

More informations: kone.de
liftfabrik.de
unica-aufzuege.de