GEA targets major energy savings with acquisition of Hydract’s water-hydraulic valve technology

GEA has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Danish specialist Hydract A/S, a move designed to slash the energy footprint of liquid processing plants by replacing traditional pneumatic systems with high-efficiency water-hydraulics.

The acquisition, expected to close by late January 2026, positions GEA as a frontrunner in sustainable plant design for the beverage, dairy, and others. By integrating Hydract’s water-powered actuators, GEA aims to provide a solution that addresses one of the most persistent energy drains in modern manufacturing: compressed air.

The core value proposition of the Hydract technology lies in its ability to eliminate the need for energy-intensive compressors. While standard process valves rely on pneumatic actuators powered by compressed air, Hydract actuators utilise water as the medium.

This shift delivers several critical efficiency gains:

• Reduced power consumption: By removing the reliance on centralised compressed air systems — notorious for energy loss and high maintenance — manufacturers can significantly lower their total energy demand.
• Precision control: unlike binary pneumatic systems, water-hydraulic actuators allow for precise regulation at any intermediate position, ensuring stable flow and reducing waste during product changeovers.
• Optimised resource usage: The technology enables more efficient, resource-saving plant concepts, such as continuous inline blending, which reduces the time and energy required for batch processing.

Proven performance: the Carlsberg benchmark

The energy-saving potential of the technology is already being realized at scale. At the Carlsberg Brewery in Fredericia, Denmark, the implementation of these hydraulic valves has optimized resource usage and accelerated switchovers. This has allowed the facility to achieve late product differentiation and higher throughput with a smaller environmental footprint — a key blueprint for GEA’s future modernisation projects.

“With the acquisition of Hydract, we are expanding our 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.

Strategic integration into ‘Pure Flow Processing’

GEA plans to fold Hydract’s intellectual property into its Valves & Pumps Business Unit within the newly formed Pure Flow Processing Division. The move makes GEA one of the only manufacturers globally to offer a consistent, high-efficiency alternative to pneumatic actuation for both single-seat and double-seat valves.

For Hydract, the acquisition marks a transition from niche innovator to a global sustainability driver.

“For Hydract, being acquired by GEA is the next necessary step from technological pioneering to industrial scale,” says Peter Espersen, CEO of Hydract. “This will turn a specialised solution into a key building block in our customers’ efficiency and modernisation projects.”