SAM Magazine-Reno, Nev., Feb. 28, 2008-Kassbohrer Gelandefahrzeug AG, the parent company of Kassbohrer All Terrain Vehicles, Inc. has agreed to purchase Formatic, formerly Hydrolink Oy Ab, a Finnish manufacturer of snow grooming vehicles. Kassbohrer's global sales and service organization will formally take control on June 2, 2008.

Hydrolink Oy Ab has been producing snow grooming vehicles for both the Alpine and Nordic markets in Scandinavia for more than 40 years. The vehicles are marketed under the name Formatic. In Scandinavia, which accounts for 13 percent of the European market, the brand enjoys a market share of around 25 percent. For all of Europe, market share is just under 5 percent.

Hydrolink was previously managed by the founder's two sons. One of them, Tore Carlson, is responsible for Formatic´s development and will continue to manage the company. Alexander Hörger will support the integration process between Kassbohrer and Formatic.

The Formatic purchase is the second acquisition for Kassbohrer in the past year. In June of 2007, the company purchased Keiteleen Latukone Oy, another Finnish manufacturer, to augment Kassbohrer's vehicle lineup for cross-country trail grooming. Keiteleen Latukone Oy produced the Paana, a smaller-imensioned groomer designed specifically for narrow-width trail systems, which complements Kassbohrer's PistenBully 100.

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