HPL
Palmer Hargreaves
Rattay
Jouhsen bündgens
Talbot
Amepa
HPL
Palmer Hargreaves
To buy or to be bought? The management of Palmer Hargreaves asked itself this question when the founder announced that he was selling his shares. In 2020, S-UBG invested as part of a management buy-out and the leadership trio of Susanne Hoffmann, Jörn Langensiepen and Dr Iris Heilmann took over the agency. In our case study, you can find out what the journey to the completion of the MBO management buyout looked like, what milestones Palmer Hargreaves has achieved since then and what the current collaboration looks like. Here is the link to download: https://bit.ly/3eLfI1U
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Rattay
ONE OF OUR LONGEST PARTNERSHIPS – THE RATTAY GROUP OF COMPANIES IN HÜNXE
16 years ago, S-UBG acquired the Rattay group of companies based in Hünxe as part of a management buy-out. Seller: The investor at the time, Signal Iduna Private Equity. Buyers: The founders of Rattay Group and S-UBG.
As a leader in hose production and expansion joint technology, Rattay had already made a name for itself in the field of customised production and worldwide distribution of stainless steel hoses and expansion joints for all industrial sectors.
During the partnership, new investment opportunities arose consistently, such as the acquisition of companies to expand the group and the reorganisation of the shareholder structure. As S-UBG was always convinced of the strategy of the company management around Udo Rattay and Frank Tennagels at the time of the transactions, it also invested here as an active financial partner.
Following the sudden death of Udo Rattay, Frank Tennagels faced the challenge of ensuring the long-term stability of the group of companies. Together with S-UBG and the other shareholders, it was possible to complete the management team with Sven Mordhorst.
Jouhsen bündgens
How do an entrepreneur seeking acquisition and private equity company come together?
It all began with accidental meeting between Dr Bert Bosserhoff and Hubert Herpers, then Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Aachen. Bert Bosserhoff was considering the idea of taking over a company in the mechanical engineering sector and Hubert Herpers knew Hubert Jouhsen, who was looking for a successor for his Jouhsen bündgens GmbH in Stolberg.
Jouhsen and Bosserhoff met, decided to take a strategic approach to the handover and looked for ways to raise the necessary sum in the millions and set up the company for the long term and sustainably. S-UBG quickly came into play and we can now look back on almost 20 years of very successful collaboration.
We have a reliable and very good partnership with the two managing partners. Shortly after Dr Bosserhoff and S-UBG joined the company, Dr Peter Renz, another managing director with a strong sales background, joined the group of shareholders.
In recent years, the company has further expanded its market position and is optimally positioned due to strategic acquisitions of additional companies.
Talbot
NEW GROUP OF SHAREHOLDERS FOR TALBOT SERVICES GMBH
Some stories are just too beautiful to end. In this respect, we at S-UBG AG are delighted to continue to be part of the new group of shareholders of Talbot Services alongside with Meilenstein GmbH, which is backed by Prof Thomas Prefi, NOMAINVEST and Dirk Reuters, and to help shape another chapter in the success story of this traditional company.
When we agreed to the bold concept of a group led by Dirk Reuters and the QUIP Executive Board in the shareholder group of QUIP AG in 2013 and put together a financing solution for the takeover of the oldest German site for the production of rail vehicles, we were by no means sure whether the plant, which was to be shut down by the former owner Bombardier, could be maintained as a service provider in the long term.
In the meantime, Talbot Services GmbH has established itself as an important player in the European market for complete refurbishment, maintenance and upgrading of rail vehicles and serves numerous market leaders such as Deutsche Bahn, Flixtrain, Siemens Mobility, etc. The number of employees has now more than doubled to almost 500. The company has now been separated from QUIP, which continues to focus on its successful core business.
“Dear Talbötter (as the team has called itself for many decades); your courage and persistence in fighting to factory preservation in 2013 was worth it and you have proven that a medium-sized company in Germany can also develop successfully in such a market with limited opportunities for automation. Quality, delivery reliability, trustworthiness and optimised processes – this is how Talbot is gaining more and more market share and it’s highly enjoyable to be part of it. Keep rolling – let’s continue to make a successful contribution to sustainable and safe mobility on the rails in Europe.”
Amepa
HIDDEN CHAMPION STRENGTHENS ITS MARKET POSITION AND EXPANDS ITS SALES ORGANISATION
As part of a reorganisation of the shareholder structure, S-UBG AG and NRW.BANK become investors in Würselen-based AMEPA. The founders Dr Edmund Julius and Wolfgang Theissen remain co-shareholders. Martin Fieweger, excutive Director of AMEPA, says: “With the help of the investment and the strategic support from S-UBG and NRW.BANK, we have now created a good basis for further growth.”
The product range of the manufacturer of measurement and process automation systems for the steel, aluminium and automotive industries is divided into two main fields of application: the monitoring of liquid steel using electromagnetic and thermographic early slag detection systems, which are used in steelworks for quality monitoring, and the monitoring of surface parameters, for example in vehicle sheet metal in automotive production.
The steel market has undergone a phase of consolidation over the past decade – recent examples include mergers between large steel producers – and is recognised as fierce competition. “Due to excess capacity and strong competition from China, where 50 per cent of the world’s steel is now produced, manufacturers are now under pressure to focus more on quality. This is also reflected in increased demand for our systems,” says Fieweger. “Furthermore, we want exploit more the market opportunities in the new business area of measuring surface parameters and will also focus our corporate strategy on pusching forward innovations in this area and further expanding our sales organisation.”
AMEPA was founded in 1984 by Prof. Franz-Rudolf Block, Dr Edmund Julius and Dipl.-Ing. Wolfgang Theissen as a spin-off of the Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy at RWTH Aachen University with the aim of realising innovative measurement technology for the steel industry. The company has now been very successful on the market for over 30 years, has expanded its product portfolio to other industries and is also very well positioned internationally with two subsidiaries in Cleveland, USA, and Shanghai, China, and sales partners worldwide. Almost 80 employees currently are working at the company headquarters in Würselen.
Later Stage
Seed
