Dowson Food Machinery has acquired fellow bakery equipment firm JBS, with plans already in the pipeline for new equipment launches.

Yorkshire-based Dowson specialises in baggers, slicers, splitters and custom-made bakery equipment, while JBS’ area of expertise lies in roll, bun and flatbread lines, decorating units, oven-loaders, dividers and moulders.

The deal will bring together two firms with “complementary technologies”, making it one of the largest operators of its kind in the UK, according to Dowson.

It added that there were already plans to launch a new divider/moulder, where the need for flour dusting on the belt has been removed for all but the stickiest doughs, reducing airborne contaminants in the atmosphere.

Nick Lacey, commercial manager for Dowson Food Machinery, said: “Both Dowson and JBS had developed strong in-house manufacturing capabilities. The new organisation, which will be called Dowson Food Machinery, brings together all this UK-based engineering expertise so we can offer an even wider range of products and systems to customers, here in the UK and worldwide, too.”

Founder of JBS Roger Jackson will stay on as a sales consultant at the company.