Ambienta SGR announced that its platform company Frigoveneta S.p.A. has completed the acquisition of SAIM Impianti S.r.l. and SAIM Service S.r.l. (“SAIM”), a company specializing in the design, installation and after-sales service of industrial refrigeration systems and post-harvest technologies for the agrifood sector. The founding family will remain actively involved in the business and has reinvested in the platform alongside Ambienta.
Founded in 1986, SAIM builds and maintains centralized refrigeration systems and post-harvest technologies, providing solutions for cold rooms, refrigerated warehouses and temperature-controlled processing facilities. The company operates mainly in agrifood, with a focus on the fruit and vegetable and cereal segments, and reports expertise in modified-atmosphere systems, forced ripening and de-astringency, as well as sanitation and pest control using ozone and other natural gases.
According to the announcement, this is the platform’s fourth add-on acquisition: the transaction strengthens Frigoveneta’s presence in Central and Southern Italy and adds capabilities in post-harvest technologies. The platform plans to leverage SAIM’s team of technicians and a complementary customer base for cross-selling opportunities and commercial and technical service synergies.
Ambienta places the transaction in the context of the European commercial and industrial refrigeration market, estimated at around €12 billion [approx. USD 13bn], which is shifting toward low-GWP refrigerants and more stringent energy-efficiency requirements. The statement also says refrigeration systems are responsible for about 500 million tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions per year (about 551 million short tons), equal to about 1% of the global total.
Massimiliano Lecchi, Private Equity Partner at Ambienta, commented: “This acquisition provides further momentum to Frigoveneta’s growth path. The integration of SAIM strengthens the platform’s exposure to the agrifood sector, expands its geographic presence and brings significant technical service capabilities.”
