American buyers are acquiring German industrial and manufacturing companies at an accelerating pace, with deal values nearly doubling since 2022 amid a generational ownership crisis among family-run businesses.

US investors were involved in 76 acquisitions and investments in German industrial and manufacturing companies last year, according to financial data provider PitchBook, with transactions valued at approximately $29.5 billion in 2025.

As of August 19, 2026, the value of US acquisitions and investments in German companies had already reached $23.9 billion, signaling another blockbuster year for transatlantic dealmaking.

Iconic German names including Birkenstock, Viessmann, Linde, and ebm-papst have all passed into American ownership, reflecting a broader shift in the ownership landscape of Germany’s celebrated industrial base.

Samar-Ahmad Albrecht-Mahmood of Veracity Capital Investments, which advises companies looking to invest in Germany, confirmed that appetite from across the Atlantic remains strong and shows no signs of slowing.

“From what we are seeing in the market, the interest from US investors in German companies is definitely still there,” Albrecht-Mahmood said, pointing to the specialized expertise and deep customer relationships these businesses have cultivated over decades.

German companies remain attractive “because many of them are highly specialized, have strong customer relationships and very good technical know-how,” he said, adding that “in many cases, these are businesses that have built up a strong position in their niche over decades.”

A critical driver of the surge is demographic pressure, with many German business owners reaching retirement age and finding no willing or capable successor within their own families to take over the company.

“This brings companies onto the market that might not have been available for sale a few years ago,” Albrecht-Mahmood noted, highlighting a structural supply of acquisition targets that previously would have remained in private family hands.

Among the most significant deals this year is the acquisition of ebm-papst, the Mulfingen-based manufacturer of electric motors and fans, which was purchased by US company Madison Air for $5.4 billion in August.

In June, Augsburg-based Everllence, formerly known as MAN Energy Solutions, was sold to US investment firm Bain Capital, which acquired a 51% stake in the company in a landmark transaction.

According to Die Deutsche Wirtschaft, a German business information network focused on the Mittelstand, no country owns more German firms than the United States, with 1,750 of the 7,861 foreign-owned German companies currently held by US investors.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, in a report titled Destination Germany, noted that while the raw number of acquisitions has not dramatically increased, the total financial volume of those deals has risen sharply.

The PwC report highlighted the acquisition of BASF Coatings by US investment firm Carlyle, in partnership with the Qatar Investment Authority, for approximately 7.7 billion euros, a deal that closed on June 30 of this year.

Despite growing acquisition activity, the German Bundesbank reported that overall US direct investment flows into Germany actually fell significantly in 2025 compared to the prior year, amounting to only 11.8 billion euros, nearly 44% less than in 2024.

Total foreign direct investment in Germany nevertheless rose from 57.4 billion euros in 2024 to 86.1 billion euros last year, with the United Kingdom emerging as a major source, contributing around 26 billion euros.

A survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany found that approximately 62% of US companies active in Germany expect business conditions to improve over the next three to four years.

Some 52% of those US companies are planning to expand their operations in Germany, up from 49% in 2024, suggesting confidence in the country’s medium-term economic trajectory despite near-term uncertainty.

Relatively modest valuations continue to make German companies an appealing target, with Albrecht-Mahmood noting that “compared to the US, we still see situations where German companies are valued more moderately, particularly in the SME segment.”

“The general interest in good German industrial companies, especially strong Mittelstand businesses, remains high,” he concluded, reinforcing the expectation that US capital will continue flowing into Germany’s family-owned industrial heartland.