1 September – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Steadfast Capital invests in Cetelon Groupe / DZ Equity Partner GmbH aquires bac electronic GmbH and GIMA GmbH Gießereianlagen und Maschinenbau
The German Private Equity House Steadfast Capital has taken a majority participation in Cetelon Group by way of a management buy-out. Cetelon Group comprises Cetelon Lackfabrik Walter Stier GmbH & Co. KG, Cetelon Nanotechnik GmbH & Co. KG and Weckerle GmbH & Co. KG. In another transaction DZ Equity Partner GmbH has acquired bac electronic GmbH and GIMA GmbH Giessereianlagen und Maschinenbau. The purchase prices remain undisclosed.
Both acquisitions were financed by the German branch of Austrian Investkredit Bank AG, permitting Investkredit to further enhance its position as German market leader in the financing of small and mid cap buy-outs. Investkredit was advised by Frankfurt Private Equity Specialist Markus Strelow from the international law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. For Strelow, who had joined Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw as a partner at the beginning of the year, these were acquisition financings number three and four for Investkredit this year.
Already in June 2005, Investkredit backed private equity firm Halder in the acquisition of GARANT Türen- und Zargen Produktions- und Handels GmbH & Co. KG and its combination with Prüm-Türenwerk GmbH which Halder had acquired in mid 2004, thereby creating the German market leader for inhouse doors and door frames. End of April 2005 Investkredit backed Equity Capital Management in the buy-out of the well-known Maredo Restaurants chain.
In each case, Thomas Fotteler, head of leveraged finance acted on behalf of Investkredit. Lawyers of Steadfast Capital were Dr. Bernhard von Braunschweig and Dr. Julian Lemor, both from the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Dr. Jörg Windt, Dr. Michael Cziesla and Andreas Kirchner from the law firm SJ Berwin were legal advisers to DZ Equity Partner GmbH.
About Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw:
With more than 1,300 lawyers in six European and seven US locations, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is one of the top ten international law firms. The client list comprises 65 of the Fortune 100 companies, numerous enterprises listed in the DAX, leading small and medium sized enterprises, as well as international financial services companies. In the German offices based in Frankfurt/Main, Cologne and Berlin, German and international clients are advised in a broad spectrum of complex legal issues by 90 lawyers. Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is represented in Germany since the merger with the Frankfurt office of the well-established German law firm Gaedertz Rechtsanwälte in 2001. Thus, the law firm was one of the first transatlantic co-partnerships in the local market.
