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Bauer MAT is celebrating 35 years of slurry handling systems

With expanded production facilities and modernized logistics, Bauer MAT Slurry Handling Systems is continuing to develop its history of engineering specialist foundation equipment. 

For more than three decades, the Allgäu-based branch of Bauer Maschinen has been developing and constructing plants for mixing, materials handling and separation technology, which are primarily for specialist foundation engineering projects and tunnel construction.

“Our technology is constantly changing — our commitment remains the same: to deliver robust, practical solutions for the jobsite,” said Rainer Rossbach, Branch Manager of Bauer MAT. “That philosophy has carried us through 35 years  and it will continue to guide us for decades to come.”

The company was founded in 1990 by Josef Soier, who at the time was the Head of Mechanical Engineering at Bauer Spezialtiefbau and later Managing Director of Bauer Maschinen. Soier was joined by experienced Mechanical Engineer Manfred Kleimeier and Ernst-Wolfram Blaschke in creating the company.  

Their goal was to develop easily transportable batch mixers for the preparation of slurries on construction sites in specialist foundation engineering, since the existing slurry technology at the time did not meet the economic or technological requirements.

In its early days, Bauer MAT Slurry Handling Systems manufactured not just mixers and plants for slurry preparation, but also numerous customized solutions. 

As the company matured, machinery for slurry handling for specialist foundation engineering projects, tunnel construction, deep drilling technology and the construction material industry were consolidated into MAT Mischanlagentechnik GmbH. 

Today, customers and companies within the Bauer Group continue to benefit from this expertise. For example, every Klemm drilling rig comes with a matching injection plant, and every drilling or cutting system has a tailored separation and mixing system — all from a single source.

Entering the tunnel market  

In 2015, MAT Mischanlagentechnik became a branch of Bauer Maschinen GmbH. 

MAT entered the market for mechanical tunnel boring with its largest separation plant to date, the BE 2550, two years later.  

Comprising six modular units, the system processes up to 2,400 cubic metres of drilling fluid per hour. It was first used on the major Eppenberg Tunnel project in Switzerland. 

Since April 2018, the branch has changed its name to Bauer MAT Slurry Handling Systems to underline its affiliation with the Bauer Group. The following year, the 1,000th desanding plant left the factory.

Expanded production 

The Bauer Group acquired Mühlhäuser-Obermann GmbH in 2019. Under the new name Obermann MAT GmbH, this company has since expanded the MAT portfolio with injection and grouting pumps, mixers and HDI pumps. 

One example of the successful combination of these two technologies is the IPA 250-E injection plant, which made its debut at bauma 2025. A new ring exchange method for rotors on decanter centrifuges was also unveiled. This replacement with an overhauled rotor  shortens the time-intensive and costly rotor maintenance. The advantage for customers is that the downtime of their decanter due to maintenance is reduced by weeks. With the CMS 50, Bauer MAT presented the next generation of its mixing technology. 

This continued success made it necessary to expand the company and plant grounds in 2025. After purchasing the adjacent property, Bauer MAT will be able to produce more than 250 plants per year in the future. Logistics were also modernized including an in-house tower crane and an additional transport vehicle.

Digitalization 

In recent years, digitalization has also gained increasing importance for Bauer MAT. Many plants, such as the BE 300, the CMS batch mixers or the IPA 250-E – already record and analyze operating data automatically. The digital solution for optimizing machine deployment has proven successful in customer operation. 

The result is reduced downtimes on construction sites and improved reaction times from the service team. 

“Apart from digitalization, the topic of sustainability also plays a key role,” said Product Manager Kurt Ostermeier. 

Bauer MAT is steadily reducing the use of diesel-powered systems and prioritizing energy-efficient machinery. Second-life concepts, such as reprocessing and resale of used equipment, have also been tested successfully. 

“A major strategic success was the introduction of comprehensive supply chain management, which has significantly shortened delivery times for standard products,” Rossbach said.

A broad market presence

While MAT concentrated almost exclusively on specialist foundation engineering in the early years, the business today is much more diversified. 

Plants for specialist foundation engineering projects currently make up around 50 per cent of sales , with growth at the same time. 

Machines for tunnel construction account for about 35 per cent of sales while equipment used for construction material and special applications equal 15 per cent and are gaining increasing importance.