In a press release from end of September 2017, the German airbrush company Harder & Steenbeck, producer of popular airbrush devices such as Evolution, Infinity and Grafo, announced that the company was purchased by the Japanese Anest Iwata group:
During the last 21 years, Jens Matthiessen has built a small German company into the world leader in airbrush technology and performance that Harder & Steenbeck is today. Now, with his desire to move into the next stage of his life, Mr. Matthiessen has found the ideal partner who truly understands the philosophy of excellence, and serving the creativity of the customer. In January 2017, the ANEST IWATA Group purchased the Harder & Steenbeck company. Both have recently celebrated their 90 year anniversaries, and each has a deep respect and understanding of the other’s heritage.
Please be assured that nothing changes for you as our customer. H&S Airbrushes will continue to be manufactured at our headquarters in Norderstedt, Germany. Our company is proud to call our products “Made in Germany” and will continue to develop Harder & Steenbeck products to our high-quality standards even further. We invite you to enjoy the growth and innovations with us that will result from this new partnership, as we remain committed to you, our loyal customer and dealer network, to the Harder & Steenbeck brand, and your success with it.
“I am confident,” Mr. Matthiessen says, “that I have made the right decision in choosing ANEST IWATA to continue my life’s work – my passion – while remaining true to the Harder & Steenbeck way. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for all of you who have contributed significantly on this remarkable journey and wish you continued success in this new and exciting phase with Harder & Steenbeck.”
Source: Harder & Steenbeck