The filtration industry is evolving from a component-level business to a strategic technology platform.
Over the past five years there have been many significant mergers and acquisitions across the global filtration industry, reflecting both the strategic importance of filtration technologies and the fragmented nature of many of its markets.
Between roughly 2021 and early 2026, activity has been shaped by a mix of consolidation among industrial filtration specialists, diversification by larger engineering groups and a growing emphasis on high-value applications such as life sciences, clean air and data centers.
Drivers
Many large engineering and industrial groups have looked to increase exposure to filtration technologies that generate stable aftermarket revenue through replacement filters, service and consumables.
In addition, there has been a steady pattern of regional “tuck-in” acquisitions, designed to expand manufacturing footprints, distribution networks and installed customer bases in air filtration and industrial process filtration.
Life sciences and bioprocessing filtration have emerged as very attractive niches in this sector, supported by long-term growth in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, cell and gene therapies and single-use processing technologies.
Meanwhile, even conservative estimates are predicting that planned new investments in data centers by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft et al. before 2030 will result in one of the largest infrastructure buildouts ever, with planned investments of anywhere between $2 trillion and $7 trillion presenting a huge opportunity for key players in the filtration industry.
Parker Hannifin
One of the most significant recent transactions was Parker Hannifin Corp.’s agreement to acquire Austin, Texas-based Filtration Group Corp. for approximately $9.25 billion. Parker Hannifin, headquartered in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, makes a wide range of hydraulic, pneumatic and electromechanical systems used in industrial, aerospace and mobile equipment applications. Filtration has long been a key part of its strategy, and the acquisition represents a major expansion of its platform.
Between roughly 2021 and early 2026, activity has been shaped by a mix of consolidation among industrial filtration specialists, diversification by larger engineering groups and a growing emphasis on high-value applications such as life sciences, clean air and data centers.
Filtration Group operates a very diversified portfolio of filtration businesses with its product portfolio spanning air, liquid and gas filtration technologies for multiple end-use markets. The group itself is based largely on a series of bolt-on acquisitions made over the past decade.
Thermo Fisher Scientific
In another landmark deal closed late last year, Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. acquired the purification and filtration business of Solventum Inc. for approximately $4.1 billion. Thermo Fisher Scientific is one of the world’s largest providers of analytical instruments, lab equipment and bioprocessing technologies used across pharmaceutical research, biotechnology manufacturing and clinical diagnostics. The acquisition was part of a broader strategy to deepen its capabilities in biopharmaceutical production workflows.
Solventum, headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., was created in 2024 as a spin-off from 3M’s healthcare division. Its purification and filtration business develops advanced membrane filtration, chromatography and purification technologies used in the manufacture of biologic drugs, vaccines and other high-value pharmaceutical products.
Atmus
Meanwhile, Nashville, Tenn.-based Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc. was founded by the separation of the filtration interests of engine manufacturer Cummins Inc., followed by its IPO in June 2023.
Cummins has been designing and manufacturing filter media technology since 1958, building up a broad IP portfolio with more than 1,300 worldwide active or pending patents and patent applications, and approximately 400 worldwide trademark registrations and applications.
The company’s Fleetguard® branded filter products are sold in more than 160 countries and are available through thousands of distribution points worldwide.
Atmus now serves customers across the truck, bus, agriculture, construction, mining, marine, and power generation vehicle and equipment markets, along with comprehensive aftermarket support and solutions.
Donaldson
Among traditional filtration specialists, Donaldson Co. has been one of the most active buyers in recent years. Headquartered in Bloomington, Minn., Donaldson is a long-established global manufacturer of filtration systems used in industrial equipment, engines, gas turbines and process industries.
In 2021, it acquired Italy-based Solaris Biotechnology, a specialist developer of bioreactors and fermentation systems used in biotechnology research and production.
Donaldson followed this in 2023 with the acquisition of Isolere Bio, headquartered in Durham, N.C., which develops reagent-based purification technologies used in the downstream processing of biologic drugs. Later the same year the company acquired Belgium-based Univercells Technologies, which develops compact manufacturing platforms designed to make the production of cell and gene therapies more scalable and efficient. Together, these acquisitions signaled a clear shift by Donaldson towards higher-value bioprocessing technologies that complement its core filtration expertise.
The company continued its expansion in the sector in 2024 with the acquisition of a 49-percent stake in Medica, headquartered in Medolla, Italy. Medica develops hollow-fiber membranes and filtration devices used in medical technologies, including blood purification systems and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
Mann+Hummel
Germany-based filtration specialist Mann+Hummel has pursued a somewhat different approach. Historically known for automotive filtration, the company has been repositioning itself more broadly as a global filtration and environmental technology provider.
As part of this repositioning, the company divested its high-performance plastic parts business in 2022 and has expanded selectively through acquisitions. A few years ago it acquired a majority stake in Finland-based M-Filter, which produces high-performance air filtration products used in commercial buildings, healthcare facilities and industrial environments.
Mann+Hummel also acquired a majority stake in Suzhou U-Air Environmental Technology, a China-based specialist in air filtration systems used in residential, commercial and industrial buildings, including high-efficiency particulate air filters and air purification systems designed to improve indoor air quality.
Cleanova
Private equity has also played a significant role in recent consolidation within the filtration sector. One of the most visible examples is Cleanova, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tenn., which was created in 2023 as a platform for building a global filtration group through the integration of several established brands specializing in liquid and air filtration technologies.
Since its formation, Cleanova has pursued an active acquisition strategy. In 2024, it acquired Sidco Filter Co. headquartered in St. Louis, which produces filtration cartridges and elements used in liquid and gas filtration applications. In the same year it also acquired St. Charles, Mo.-based Shawndra Products, a producer of filter housings, strainers and custom filtration systems used in industrial fluid handling and process filtration.
Cleanova continued its expansion in 2025 with the acquisition of another UK-based operation, Allied Filter Systems, whose products are widely used in industrial air pollution control systems designed to reduce particulate emissions. Cleanova also acquired Micronics Engineered Filtration Group, which was headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H., but is now in Tenn. and is a manufacturer of filter presses, filter cloths and other solid-liquid separation technologies used extensively in mining, wastewater treatment and chemical processing.
At the beginning of the year, Cleanova added further capabilities through the acquisition of Georgia-based Airflotek and TES-Clean Air Systems based in Tracy, Calif., both specialists in filtration systems used in controlled environments such as laboratories, cleanrooms and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
Rensa Filtration
Since its acquisition by private equity firm Audax, Aurora, Ill.-based Rensa Filtration has also pursued a deliberate expansion strategy, completing nine acquisitions in relatively quick succession. Early acquisitions focused on strengthening its regional footprint and core product offering, while subsequent additions have introduced more specialized technologies and niche expertise. As the program progressed, integration became as important as expansion, with each business contributing to a more cohesive and vertically aligned platform.
Rensa’s most recently acquired Germany-based company Irema-Filter and its U.S. subsidiary Archdale, N.C.-based Aeolus Filter Corp., completed late last year.
Camfil
Another smaller but illustrative transaction early this year came from Camfil, headquartered in Stockholm. Camfil is a global manufacturer of air filtration solutions used in commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, cleanrooms and industrial plants. The company has built a strong reputation in high-efficiency air filtration, particularly in applications requiring strict contamination control.
At the beginning of the year, Camfil acquired Italy-based FCR, a regional specialist in air filtration technologies. Although modest in scale compared with some of the larger transactions in the sector, the acquisition reflects a broader trend toward regional consolidation.
This measured approach is consistent with Camfil’s longer-term strategy. Between 2015 and 2020, the company undertook a small number of similarly targeted acquisitions, including Servifiltro in Spain, England-based MC Air Filtration and Chimbault-Peyridieux in France, before expanding into the Asia-Pacific region through the acquisition of Airepure Australia Group. These transactions were not transformative in scale, but were focused on strengthening local market positions, enhancing service capabilities and adding technical expertise. Taken together, they underline Camfil’s preference for selective, bolt-on acquisitions that reinforce its regional presence and high-performance filtration offering, rather than pursuing large-scale consolidation.
Evolution In The Industry
Taken together, these transactions illustrate how the filtration industry is evolving. What was once often regarded primarily as a component-level business focused on mechanical separation is increasingly being recognized as a strategic technology platform underpinning critical processes across healthcare, manufacturing, environmental protection and digital infrastructure. As regulatory standards tighten and industries place greater emphasis on product purity, emissions control and operational reliability, filtration technologies are becoming more central to industrial systems.
This shift helps explain why the sector is attracting growing interest from both strategic industrial buyers and private equity investors. For large engineering groups, filtration offers a combination of technological differentiation and recurring consumables revenue. For investors, the fragmented structure of many filtration segments provides opportunities to build larger platforms through consolidation and targeted acquisitions.
