Ardian buys car parts producer Weber

Katharina Semke
07 October 2016

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Ardian has acquired German car parts producer Weber Automotive.

A capital increase, provided by Ardian and the founders, is part of the transaction and aims to enable further expansion. The founding Weber family holds a minority stake following the transaction, and will continue to own the operational properties used by Weber. Changes to the management team are not planned.

Ardian will increase the company's development efforts, look to improve its machining and manufacturing technology, and also hope to expand Weber's production capacity in Germany, the US and Asia. Ardian will also consider add-on acquisitions; Weber already acquired competitor SaarOtec earlier this year.

The acquisition of Weber marks the third investment from Ardian's €4bn LBO Fund VI.

Company
Founded in 1969 and based in Markdorf, Weber focuses on drivetrain components for cars, heavy trucks and sport vehicles manufacturers. It has 1,300 employees at six locations in Germany, the US and Hungary with a focus on the machining of engine and transmission components, and the assembly of complete systems. These include engine blocks and cylinder heads as well as various transmission housings and casings. The business reported a turnover of €306m for 2015.

People
Ardian – Wolfgang Pietzsch (managing director, mid-cap buyout).
Weber Automotive – Daniel Weber (CEO).

Advisers
Equity – EY, Stefan Ostheim (financial due diligence); Michael Kunz (tax); Berylls Strategy Advisors, Jan Dannenberg (commercial due diligence); Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Mario Schmidt, Maximilian Schwab, Christina Mann (legal); Willis Towers Watson, Jürgen Reinschmidt (insurance due diligence); Golder Associates, Gerold Siegfanz (environmental due diligence).
Vendor – Ipontix Equity Consultants, Elmar Jakob, Manuel Knaus, Maximilian Haakh (M&A); Paul Hastings, Christopher Wolff, Christian Mock, Jan Gernoth (legal); Helbling, Stefan Huber, Thilo Herbertz (commercial due diligence).