Carlyle acquires The Sniffers

The stake was acquired from Creafund, which owned the majority in the firm since 2006. Creafund, The Sniffers' management and the company's founder Rudy van Baelen all reinvested.

Carlylye's investment was made via Carlyle Europe Technology Partners II, which closed on €530m in November 2008.

The capital will be used to expand into new markets and develop the company's service range.

Debt
The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Company
The Sniffers is a Belgian service provider in the field of oil and gas emission monitoring. The firm concentrates on fugitive emission monitoring, which is the detection of gas or vapour leaks from pressurized equipment during the oil refinery process. The monitoring is facilitated by proprietory analysis software.

The Sniffers has more than 200 customers in 20 countries and employs 120 people. It was founded in 1991 by Rudy van Baelen and is based in Balen, Belgium. 

People
Vladimir Lasocki, managing director, led the deal on behalf of Carlyle. Johan Heirbrandt, partner, oversaw the reinvestment of Creafund. Rudy van Baelen is founder and CEO of The Sniffers.

Advisers
Equity - BDO (Corporate finance); Stibbe, Herbert Smith, Gleiss Lutz (Legal); Estin (Commercial due diligence). 

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