The Middleby Corporation Announces Acquisition of Armor Inox

ELGIN, Ill. - Thursday, December 22nd 2011 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD) today announced that it has acquired Armor Inox. Armor Inox is a leading manufacturer of thermal processing systems for the food processing industry with approximate annual revenues of $25 million. The addition of this brand complements and further enhances Middleby’s food processing equipment platform.

Armor Inox is recognized by the leading global food processors for its unique cooking process. The Armor Inox Thermix cooking system utilizes water to provide for a highly efficient transfer of heat, rapid cook times, and the highest cooking yields. The Thermix cooking system ensures precise control of the cooking cycle resulting in superior product quality and consistency.

“In the last eighteen months, Middleby has significantly expanded its food processing equipment platform completing the acquisitions of Armor Inox, Auto-Bake, Cozzini, Danfotech, Drake, and Maurer-Atmos, which adds to the existing portfolio of brands including Alkar, MP Equipment and RapidPak. We have assembled a very strong lineup of globally recognized brands and a portfolio of complementary industry leading technologies. These highly synergistic acquisitions will allow us to provide our customers a uniquely integrated and efficient equipment solution, providing for reduced operating costs and the highest standards of quality. As we complete the integration of these newly acquired brands, we also see significant opportunity to realize operational efficiencies amongst our expanded Food Processing Equipment Group,” commented Selim A. Bassoul, Chairman and CEO.

About The Middleby Corporation

The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry. The company develops, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used for commercial food cooking, preparation and processing. The company's leading equipment brands serving the commercial foodservice industry include Anets®, Blodgett®, Blodgett Combi®, Beech®, Bloomfield®, Britannia®, Carter Hoffmann®, CookTek®, CTX®, Doyon®, FriFri®, Giga®, Holman®, Houno®, IMC®, Jade®, Lang®, Lincat®, MagiKitch'n®, Middleby Marshall®, Nu-Vu®, PerfectFry®, Pitco Frialator®, Southbend®, Star®, Toastmaster® Turbochef® and Wells®. The company’s leading equipment brands serving the food processing industry include Alkar®, Armor Inox®, Auto-Bake®, Cozzini®, Danfotech®, Drake®, MP Equipment®, and RapidPak®. The Middleby Corporation has been recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the Best Small Companies in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

For further information about Armor Inox, visit www.armorinox.net

For further information about Middleby, visit www.middleby.com.

Contacts

The Middleby Corporation

Darcy Bretz

(847) 429-7756



Tim FitzGerald

(847) 429-7744