Archives

Francks Kylindustri continues its expansion in Norway through the acquisition of Invent

Segula

After the recently announced acquisition of Therma, Francks continues its Norwegian expansion through the acquisition of Invent AS in Bergen. Invent will together with Therma get a market leading position in Bergen. Invent has a long history and broad competence primarily in cooling and ventilation. The current owners will continue to develop the company in collaboration with Francks. Invent has a turnover of ca. NOK 35m.

 “We are very pleased that Invent – with its high competence and experience – has chosen to join Francks. Invent and Therma Bergen will form a strong team and get a market leading position in Bergen. Invent is a well-established family business with strong local roots that shares our vision and our values. It is very exciting to continue the future journey together when we now further expand our platform in Norway”, says Tomas Berggren, CEO of Francks Kylindustri.

“We are excited to be part of Francks and their expansion in Norway. Through our joint expertise, we will develop our offering in design, installation, and service to provide a stronger customer value proposition. Together with Francks and Therma, we look forward to leverage our joint base of expertise, experience and synergies to accelerate our growth in the expansive Bergen region” says Andreas Berg Peschina, CEO of Invent AS.

Francks Kylindustri is the leading Swedish provider of industrial and commercial refrigeration solutions with 28 offices across Sweden, from Malmö in the south to Luleå in the north.

For further information, please visit www.francksref.com or contact:

Marcus Planting-Bergloo, Managing Partner, Segulah Advisor AB
+46 70 229 11 85, planting@segulah.se

Tomas Berggren, CEO, Francks Kylindustri Sweden AB
+46 70 540 50 42, tomas.berggren@francksref.com

Categories: News

Tags:

CONET Group acquires Karlsruhe-based ISB AG

IK Partners

CONET Group acquires Karlsruhe-based ISB AG, strengthening its market position in the public and automotive sectors

Common values and matching areas of focus form an ideal basis for successful cooperation in the CONET group of companies.

Hennef, December 15, 2021 – IT consulting firm CONET and the consultants and software developers of Karlsruhe-based ISB AG will combine their industry expertise, development know-how and consulting experience in the future. With this step, the two companies that have been successful individually in the IT services market for more than 30 years, will benefit from complementary services and customer relationships, particularly in the public and automotive sectors. The acquisition of ISB AG was supported by IK Partners, CONET Group’s majority investor, with whom CONET is consistently pursuing its growth course.

ISB AG, founded in 1981, has around 250 employees and specialises in software development and IT consulting. With the addition of ISB AG, which has its headquarters in Karlsruhe and offices in Berlin, Mainz and Stuttgart, the CONET group of companies is expanding its market position in key segments and extending its portfolio of solutions in the fast-growing consulting and service sectors of process automation, software development and digitalisation in public administration and industry.

Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed and the completion of the transaction is subject to legal and regulatory approvals.

“We have found an ideal new partner in ISB AG,” explains Anke Höfer, CEO of the CONET group of companies. With their distinctive expertise, especially in the areas of software development and process consulting, we are complementing our portfolio in a targeted manner and are jointly pursuing the strategy of further expanding our market position as a valued digitalisation partner.” ISB’s management team is guided by the same values as we are and has built a strong and innovative company that always keeps its finger on the pulse of digital development. We look forward to working with them to develop even more powerful solutions for our customers.”

Ralf Schneider, who has been a member of the ISB AG Executive Board since 2005, adds: “Open and cooperative partnership, respect, personal responsibility and, last but not least, transparency and a long-term approach are central cornerstones of our corporate philosophy. CONET Group shares these guiding principles, which are laid down in its corporate constitution CONET LIFE. This is the ideal basis for us to create maximum added value for our customers with our deep understanding of processes, industry knowledge and the highest methodological and technological competence and to offer our employees excellent prospects. We are looking forward to the future together in a strong group of companies!”

IK Partners
Deekeling Arndt/AMO
Natascha Divac
Phone: +49-162-9981108
natascha.divac@deekeling-arndt.com

CONET Technologies Holding GmbH
Simon Vieth, Spokesman
Phone: +49 2242 939-246
presse@conet.de

Categories: News

Tags:

Oakley agrees sale of TechInsights and follow-on investment

CVC Capital Partners

Oakley Capital Fund IV will acquire a majority stake alongside CVC Growth Funds to benefit from business’ strong future growth potential

Oakley Capital (“Oakley”) has announced that Oakley Capital Private Equity III (“Fund III”) has reached an agreement to sell its stake in TechInsights, an information services platform for the microelectronics sector. The exit will generate a gross return on investment of c.18.8x MM and c.82% IRR to Fund III. As part of the transaction, Oakley Capital Fund IV (“Fund IV”) will acquire a majority stake in TechInsights alongside CVC Growth Funds (“CVC Growth”) to benefit from the strong future growth potential of the business, as well as the significant strategic and sectoral synergies CVC Growth offers.

Fund III first invested in TechInsights in 2017 as a carveout from AXIO Group. During its period of ownership, Oakley has supported management in transforming the business model by shifting its revenue base from one-off projects to higher quality subscription revenues. The integration of three bolt-on acquisitions further strengthened its position as a leader in its field, and today TechInsights provides syndicated content to blue chip companies around the world.

The fresh investment from Fund IV and CVC Growth will support an ambitious, multi-year expansion programme to capitalise on promising growth opportunities that management have identified across TechInsights’ core markets and in new verticals. Management are fully committed to remaining with the business and TechInsights will continue to be led by CEO Gavin Carter.

Oakley Capital Managing Partner Peter Dubens commented: “Gavin and his team have transformed TechInsights into a highly successful subscription business, and we look forward to supporting them on the next stage of the company’s development. We’re also pleased to welcome CVC Growth as co-investors with their strong track record backing high-growth, technology and information services businesses.”

TechInsights CEO Gavin Carter commented: “Several years ago, on the foundation of our world-leading reverse engineering, we began to develop the go-to information platform for those interested in microelectronics. We have come a long way, yet there is much opportunity ahead in this innovation-fuelled sector. Continuing our strong partnership with Oakley and now with the support of CVC Growth, we initiate a new investment programme and embark on an ambitious growth plan, working with current and prospective customers to further develop our capability and platform.”

Sebastian Künne Managing Director at CVC Growth commented: “CVC has a proven track record of teaming up with like-minded investors to take businesses to the next level. We look forward to partnering with Oakley Capital and working closely with Gavin and his team to continue building a leading information services platform for the microelectronics industry.”

Categories: News

Tags:

Artefact aims to become the world’s leading data services group following Ardian’s successful purchase offer.

Ardian

Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, together with Cathay Capital, are pleased to announce that their simplified tender offer for the remaining shares of Artefact, a leader in data services, has been accepted.

As the required conditions were met at the closing of the offer, the mandatory withdrawal on Artefact shares will be effective as of 21 December 2021 at €7.80 per share. Artefact’s legacy managers are also supporting this offer by reinvesting substantially alongside Ardian, to ensure the continuity of governance with Vincent Luciani as Group CEO.

Artefact was founded in 2014 by Vincent Luciani and Guillaume de Roquemaurel. After rapid international expansion, Artefact established itself as a leader in data-driven business transformation, with the aim of creating value by bridging the gap between data and business.

Today, Artefact has a global network, with operations across the world in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Africa, and over 800 employees. The company has partnered with major brands such as L’Oréal, Danone, Sanofi Orange and also supports major international accounts across a range of sectors from FMCG, Retail, Luxury, Telecoms, Healthcare, Tourism and Industry including for example: Samsung and Unilever.

Artefact’s data offerings have demonstrated their ability to scale AI projects globally, especially as only 10 to 15% of companies are currently incorporating data science-based solutions into their operations successfully. Artefact enables the implementation of fundamental services such as data governance and infrastructure, and the development of specialized solutions (call centre automation, demand forecasting, recommendation engines, and fraud detection). Artefact also has the most complete data-driven marketing portfolio on the market.

In a market driven by exponential growth in data, Ardian’s Expansion team, alongside Cathay Capital, a global investment firm with a strong presence in Asia, will support Artefact’s management team in a new phase of acceleration with the aim of becoming a global data services leader.

The new shareholders will support the group in its geographical expansion in Europe, Asia and the United States thanks to their global network and the significant resources that will be provided to the Group. Artefact will invest in an ambitious recruitment program for new talent with the aim of tripling its workforce by 2025, with already 500 recruitments planned for 2022. Finally, the Group will be an active player in the consolidation of the market by accelerating strategic acquisitions in a still highly fragmented data services market.

Artefact’s strength lies in the excellence of its people who are drawn to a company dedicated to building the next generation of “data leaders”. Strong human values, a committed CSR policy, and a continual job training, make Artefact one of the data industry’s most sought-after employers.

“The alliance with Ardian definitely marks a major turning point in the history of Artefact. The delisting and the arrival of a shareholder like Ardian, a strategic and long-term oriented investor, allows us to deploy an ambitious growth and recruitment plan, anchored on the high added value of our talents.” Vincent Luciani, Co-Founder and CEO of Artefact

“Our objective is to support this excellent management team in its ambition to become a world leader in data services. Our global network, expertise and significant resources will be available to Artefact and will help accelerate the group’s growth by strengthening its appeal to new talent by pursuing an ambitious market consolidation strategy.” Marie Arnaud-Battandier, Managing Director, Expansion team, Ardian

“We’re delighted to partner with Artefact and its management team alongside Ardian in a new phase of development. Artefact has built a strong client-recognized expertise in the field of data services and benefits from major growth potential in France and abroad. Cathay Capital will support Artefact’s ambitious organic and external growth strategy thanks to our technological know-how and ecosystem, especially in China.” Jérémie Falzone, Partner, Cathay Capital

PARTIES TO THE TRANSACTION

  • Ardian

    • Marie Arnaud- Battandier, Stephan Torra, Thomas Grétéré, Leslie Parmast.
    • Legal advisors: Latham & Watkins (Olivier Du Mottay, Olivia Rauch-Ravisé, Philippe Tesson, Mayssa Sader Michel Houdayer)
    • Financial advisors: Sycomore Corporate Finance (Tristan Dupont, Olivier Barret, Pierre-Arnaud De Lacharrière, Marion Pouchain), Clipperton Finance (Nicolas von Bulow, Martin Vielle), Natixis Partners (Philippe Charbonnier)
    • Financial advisors for the public offer: Société Générale (Stéphanie Kordonian, Stephane Krief, Asgar Sondarjee, Florent Guillermain)
    • Commercial Due Diligence: Bain & Company (Daphné Vattier, Thibaud Chabrelié, Guillaume Tobler)
    • Financial Due Diligence: Alvarez & Marsal (Ghislain De Seze, Simon Regad, Guillaume Blanchard)
    • Legal, tax and social Due Diligence: Kpmg Avocats (Xavier Houard, Thomas Chardenal)
    • Insurance Due Diligence: Finaxy (Deborah Hauchemaille)
    • Debt: Eurazeo (Eric Gallerne, Olivier Sesboüe), Tikehau, Eiffel, Bpi – Conseil juridique financement des banques: Paul Hastings (Olivier Vermeulen)

  • Cathay Capital

    • Jérémie Falzone, Benoît Seringe, Bertrand Uchan, Marc Lin
    • Commercial Due Diligence: Roland Berger (Jean-Michel Cagin, Cyrille Vincey)
    • Legal advisors: Hogan Lovells (Stéphane Huten, Arnaud Deparday)

  • Artefact

    • Vincent Luciani CEO Artefact
    • Guillaume De Roquemaurel Président du Conseil De Surveillance Artefact
    • Hayette Soltani Chief Financial Officer Artefact
    • Legal advisors: BDGS (Youssef Djehane, François Baylion, Marie Dupin, Jules Brizi)
    • Legal advisors to the management: Jausserand & Audouard (Tristan Audouard, Carole Degonse, Antoine Le Roux)
    • Financial advisors: Cambon Partners (Guillaume Teboul, Michael Azencot, Samuel Koubi, Côme Mullie)
    • Financial Due Diligence: Alvarez & Marsal (Frédéric Steiner, Nicolas Guillo, Baptiste Rideau)
    • Legal, tax and social Due Diligence: EY (Mathieu Dautriat, Charles Moulette, Solal Blanc, Adrien Khaznadji, Sylvie Magnen, Thomas Jaegle)

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world leading private investment house with assets of US$120bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base. Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 800 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of more than 1,100 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

www.ardian.com

ABOUT CATHAY CAPITAL GROUP

Cathay Capital Group is a global investment firm supporting companies at all stages throughout North America, Asia, Europe and Africa. By helping navigate the opportunities of globalization and sustainable transformation, Cathay is the partner of choice for companies aspiring to lead markets and make a positive impact. Its global platform connects people – from investors and entrepreneurs to management teams and leading corporations – across continents to share knowledge, the tools to scale, and achieve the extraordinary. Founded in 2007 with a strong entrepreneurial heritage, Cathay Capital now manages over $4.5B in assets, has completed over 220 buyouts, growth and venture capital investments with the global reach and local expertise from offices in Paris, New York, Shanghai, Munich, San Francisco, Beijing, Singapore, Shenzhen and Tel Aviv.
Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter @CathayCapital

www.cathaycapital.com

ABOUT ARTEFACT

Artefact is a next-generation end-to-end data services company specialising in data transformation and data & digital marketing, transforming data into impact across the entire enterprise value chain Artefact’s unique approach, by bridging the gap between data and businesses, enables our clients to achieve their business goals in a dedicated and efficient manner. Our 800 employees combine their multi-disciplinary skills to help companies innovate and grow. Our cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence technologies and agile methods ensure the success of our clients’ AI projects, from design to deployment, training and change management. With 16 offices in Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America and Africa, we partner with leading global brands such as Orange, Samsung, L’Oréal, and Sanofi.

www.artefact.com

Media contacts

ARDIAN – Image 7

Anne-Charlotte Créac’h

accreach@image7.fr +33 1 53 70 94 21

Anatole Flahault

aflahault@image7.fr +33 1 53 70 74 26

Categories: News

Tags:

Aino Nuotio appointed legal counsel for Tesi’s HR & Compliance team

Aino Nuotio has been appointed legal counsel for Tesi’s HR & Compliance team as of December 15th, 2021. Aino joins Tesi from the Ministry of Finance, where she has worked primarily on tasks related to the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing. Aino holds a Master of Laws from the University of Helsinki, and she has specialised in financial law, criminal law and communications and information law in her studies.

Welcome aboard, Aino!

Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned investment company that wants to raise Finland to the front ranks of transformative economic growth by investing in funds and directly in companies. We invest profitably and responsibly, hand-in-hand with co-investors, to create the world’s new success stories. Our investments under management total 2.1 billion euros.  www.tesi.fi | @TesiFII

Categories: People

CONET Group acquires Karlsruhe-based ISB AG, strengthening its market position in the public and automotive sectors

IK Partners

Common values and matching areas of focus form an ideal basis for successful cooperation
in the CONET group of companies.

Hennef, December 15, 2021 – IT consulting firm CONET and the consultants and software developers
of Karlsruhe-based ISB AG will combine their industry expertise, development know-how and
consulting experience in the future. With this step, the two companies that have been successful
individually in the IT services market for more than 30 years, will benefit from complementary services
and customer relationships, particularly in the public and automotive sectors. The acquisition of ISB
AG was supported by IK Partners, CONET Group’s majority investor, with whom CONET is consistently
pursuing its growth course.

ISB AG, founded in 1981, has around 250 employees and specialises in software development and IT
consulting. With the addition of ISB AG, which has its headquarters in Karlsruhe and offices in Berlin,
Mainz and Stuttgart, the CONET group of companies is expanding its market position in key segments
and extending its portfolio of solutions in the fast-growing consulting and service sectors of process
automation, software development and digitalisation in public administration and industry.
Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed and the completion of the transaction is
subject to legal and regulatory approvals.

“We have found an ideal new partner in ISB AG,” explains Anke Höfer, CEO of the CONET group of
companies. With their distinctive expertise, especially in the areas of software development and
process consulting, we are complementing our portfolio in a targeted manner and are jointly pursuing
the strategy of further expanding our market position as a valued digitalisation partner.” ISB’s
management team is guided by the same values as we are and has built a strong and innovative
company that always keeps its finger on the pulse of digital development. We look forward to working
with them to develop even more powerful solutions for our customers.”
Ralf Schneider, who has been a member of the ISB AG Executive Board since 2005, adds: “Open and
cooperative partnership, respect, personal responsibility and, last but not least, transparency and a
long-term approach are central cornerstones of our corporate philosophy. CONET Group shares these
guiding principles, which are laid down in its corporate constitution CONET LIFE. This is the ideal basis
for us to create maximum added value for our customers with our deep understanding of processes,
industry knowledge and the highest methodological and technological competence and to offer our
employees excellent prospects. We are looking forward to the future together in a strong group of
companies!”

About ISB
ISB AG develops customised software solutions in the areas of software engineering and IT consulting.
As an innovative IT service provider, ISB AG has been supporting customers from the fields of industry
and public administration in the implementation of their software development projects for three
decades. Renowned industrial companies, federal, state and local authorities trust the expertise of ISB
AG. The company currently employs more than 250 process specialists, consultants and developers at
five locations in Germany, with its headquarters in Karlsruhe and offices in Mainz, Stuttgart and Berlin.
www.isb-ag.de

About CONET
“Success. Our passion.” CONET is the competent IT consulting company for SAP, Infrastructure,
Communications, Software and Consulting in the focus areas of Cyber Security, Cloud, Mobility and
Data Intelligence. With around 1,000 employees, CONET is one of the best medium-sized IT houses in
Germany. Well-known companies and organisations from industry & commerce, the public sector and
defence & public security have trusted the experts of the medium-sized group of companies since
1987. With its headquarters in Hennef, CONET has thirteen locations in Germany, Austria and Croatia.

For more information, visit https://www.conet.de/DE/conet

About IK Partners
IK Partners (“IK”) is a European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH,
France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €14 billion of capital and invested in
160 European companies. IK supports companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with
management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent longterm prospects. For more information, visit www.ikpartners.com

IK Partners
Deekeling Arndt/AMO
Natascha Divac
Phone: +49-162-9981108
natascha.divac@deekeling-arndt.com
CONET Technologies Holding GmbH
Simon Vieth, Spokesman
Phone: +49 2242 939-246
presse@conet.de

Categories: News

Alcami Announces the Acquisition of Masy BioServices

Ampersand
Acquisition to add 375,000 ft² of cGMP Biostorage and Pharma Support Services

Alcami logo

Wilmington, North Carolina – December 15, 2021 – Alcami Corporation, a leading pharmaceutical and biotech contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announced today it has completed the acquisition of Masy Systems Inc. (“Masy” or “Masy BioServices”), a preferred provider of cGMP Biostorage and pharma support services. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“The acquisition of Masy adds complementary service offerings and further reinforces Alcami’s ambitious growth and expansion initiatives,” commented Patrick D. Walsh, Chairman and CEO of Alcami.

Masy was founded in 1984 by entrepreneurs Laurie and John Masiello and operates three cGMP Biostorage facilities in Massachusetts, all within 1-hour of Boston and Cambridge, with a fourth facility coming online in early 2022. The company offers secure and tightly controlled cGMP temperature storage from -196˚C to 70˚C, including all ICH stability conditions, for various materials including vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, cell banks, tissues, compounds, and medical devices. The company’s pharma support services include equipment calibration, large-scale validation and qualification projects, SenseAnywhere monitoring solutions, and validation and calibration equipment sales and rentals. Masy’s additional pharma support service operations are located in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

“We built an amazing company at Masy and are thrilled to partner with the Alcami team, as our combined resources and capabilities will result in enhanced support for our customers,” commented Masy co-founder Laurie Masiello. In addition, Steve Lane will continue in his current executive leadership role at Masy and commented, “I look forward to the successful integration and continuing to build a strong and enduring business.”

Masy clients will gain immediate access to Alcami’s comprehensive service offerings ranging from analytical development and testing to full drug product development and manufacturing, both sterile fill-finish and oral solid dose. Similarly, Alcami’s extensive client base will have access to Masy’s available and growing cGMP Biostorage capacity and extensive pharma support services.

About Alcami

Alcami is a contract development and manufacturing organization headquartered in North Carolina with over 40 years of experience advancing products through every stage of the development lifecycle. Leveraging four US-based scientific campuses, Alcami serves pharmaceutical and biotech companies of all sizes providing customizable and innovative solutions for analytical development, clinical to commercial sterile and oral solid manufacturing, packaging, microbiology, and environmental monitoring services. Alcami’s private equity ownership includes Madison Dearborn Partners and Ampersand Capital Partners. For more information, please visit alcaminow.com.

About Masy BioServices

Masy, founded by John and Laurie Masiello in 1984, has provided quality solutions to the life sciences community for nearly 40 years and meets rigorous qualifications for NVLAP accreditation to ISO 17025:2017 as well as ISO 9001:2015 certification. Services include calibration of primary standards and critical test equipment; validation and IQ/OQ/PQ of environmental chambers, autoclaves, and thermal warehouse mapping; and lab equipment rentals and sales. Masy offers premier cGMP biorepository options, with secure and tightly controlled temperature storage from -196˚C to 70˚C, including all ICH stability conditions, for various materials including vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, cell banks, tissues, compounds, and medical devices. For more information, please visit masy.com.

Media Contact

Michael Walsh
Alcami Corporation
Michael.walsh@alcaminow.com

Categories: News

Tags:

KKR Launches Self-Storage Investment Platform with Jonathan Perry

KKR

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the launch of a platform to invest in self-storage real estate across the United States. Industry veteran Jonathan Perry will serve as CEO of the platform, Alpha Storage Properties (ASP), and work closely with KKR’s real estate team to acquire and manage a portfolio of self-storage assets in high-growth markets and strategic infill locations across the country.

Over the past few months, prior to the launch of ASP, KKR’s real estate funds have purchased 16 self-storage assets for approximately $300 million across major growth markets, including, Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver the Inland Empire, Nashville, Orlando and Phoenix. The seed portfolio includes approximately 11,700 units or 1.2 million square-feet. The go-forward ASP platform led by Jonathan Perry will further accelerate the firm’s self-storage strategy and enhance its presence in the sector.

“We are thrilled to launch ASP under Jonathan’s leadership. His deep knowledge of the self-storage sector will help accelerate the growth of our portfolio,” said Roger Morales, KKR Partner and Head of Real Estate Acquisitions in the Americas. “Self-storage is a resilient sector that has experienced steady growth over the past 30 years and we are seeing an increase in demand resulting from the evolving relationship people have with their living space, the cost of housing and accelerated trends in net migration.”

Jonathan Perry has over two decades of experience in the self-storage industry serving in senior leadership roles for a number of leading publicly listed real estate investment trusts (REITs) and during his career had led over $4.0 billion of storage transactions.

Mr. Perry most recently served as President and Chief Investment Officer at Jernigan Capital (NYSE: JCAP), where he was responsible for overseeing all investment and asset management activities. Previously, Mr. Perry spent 10 years with CubeSmart (NYSE: CUBE), rising to the level of Chief Investment Officer where he lead all external growth initiatives including joint venture investment activity, the third party management business and acquisitions. Mr. Perry began his career at Storage USA where he worked in various finance and real estate roles for the company and its successor GE Capital Real Estate.

“I am excited to collaborate with KKR to build a leading national portfolio of self-storage real estate. I was immediately impressed by the KKR real estate team’s rigorous approach to asset selection, deep presence in fast growing Sun Belt markets and strong focus on building lasting partnerships. We are launching ASP with a high-quality seed portfolio and I believe our platform is well positioned as an aggregator, owner and operator in a fragmented market,” said Mr. Perry.

Since launching a dedicated real estate platform in 2011, KKR has grown real estate assets under management to approximately $36 billion across the U.S., Europe and Asia as of September 30, 2021. The global real estate team consists of over 135 dedicated investment professionals, spanning both the equity and credit businesses.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Media
Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
(212) 750-8300
media@kkr.com

Source: KKR & Co. Inc.

Categories: News

Tags:

KKR Completes Acquisition of Bettcher Industries and Names Dan Daniel Chairman

KKR

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Bettcher Industries (“Bettcher” or the “Company”), a leading manufacturer and supplier of food processing equipment and associated aftermarket parts and consumables, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the completion of KKR’s acquisition of Bettcher from MPE Partners.

Effective upon the transaction close, Dan Daniel, a KKR Executive Advisor, will assume the role of Chairman of Bettcher. Mr. Daniel will support Tim Swanson, CEO of Bettcher, in setting the strategic direction of the company and in overseeing Bettcher’s operating performance.

“Bettcher is a great business and an iconic brand, and I am honored to support the Company in its growth ambitions from here,” said Mr. Daniel. “Through continued growth and accretive acquisitions, we can together build Bettcher into a scaled leader in food processing automation equipment and I look forward to working alongside the Bettcher management team and KKR to do exactly that,” said Mr. Daniel.

Mr. Daniel has three decades of experience leading U.S. industrial companies, most recently serving as an Executive Vice President at Danaher from 2008 through March 2020. During his 14 years as an Executive Officer at Danaher, Mr. Daniel directly managed Danaher’s Industrial Technologies and Life Sciences portfolios until 2017, and, from 2017 until his retirement in March 2020, directly managed the company’s Diagnostics and Dental segments.

“I am excited to be partnering with KKR and Dan as they share our vision at Bettcher of driving continued innovation while providing outstanding support to our customers. Together, we will be able to build upon Bettcher’s legacy to partner with our customers in new and expanded ways,” said Mr. Swanson.

KKR will also be supporting Bettcher in implementing KKR’s broad-based employee engagement model at the Company. Since 2011, KKR’s Industrials team has focused on employee engagement as a key driver in building stronger businesses. The strategy’s cornerstone has been to allow all employees to take part in the benefits of ownership by granting them the opportunity to participate in the equity return alongside KKR. Beyond sharing ownership, KKR also supports employee engagement by investing in training across multiple functional areas and by partnering with the workforce to give back to the community.

About Bettcher Industries

Headquartered in Birmingham, Ohio, Bettcher is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative equipment in the food processing and medical device industries. The Bettcher portfolio includes the following: Bettcher, a designer and manufacturer of handheld trimmers, tools, and cutting consumables for all protein applications; Cantrell-Gainco, a manufacturer of processing equipment and yield enhancement and yield tracking systems for various protein operations; ICB Greenline, an aftermarket replacement parts and services company focused on poultry processing; and, Exsurco Medical, a leading-edge medical device company that provides innovative products and services to transform surgical grafting, debridement, and recovery outcomes for patients with burn and trauma wounds.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

For Bettcher Industries:
Bryan Hesse
(440) 204-3291
BryanHesse@bettcher.com

For KKR:
Cara Major or Julia Kosygina
(212) 750-8300
media@kkr.com

Source: KKR

Categories: News People

Tags:

ARBOR INVESTMENTS ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF LARGEST NORTH AMERICAN FREEZE-DRYER, OREGON FREEZE DRY

Arbor Investment

Arbor Investments (“Arbor”), a specialized private equity firm that focuses exclusively on investing in food, beverage and related industries, announced today the acquisition of Oregon Freeze Dry (“OFD” or the “Company”) from Endeavour Capital. The transaction marks the fifth platform investment for Arbor Fund V. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1963, OFD is North America’s largest and most technologically advanced freeze-dryer of food, probiotics, enzymes, proteins, specialty ingredients, and lyophilized pharmaceutical inputs. With nearly six decades of institutional knowledge and proprietary lyophilization expertise, OFD manufactures innovative and value-added freeze-dried products for a diversified and high-growth mix of end-markets. This expertise is paired with OFD’s unmatched production scale and capabilities, including 36 freeze-drying chambers spread across four best-in-class bicoastal facilities, with nearly 550 employees. A new state-of-the-art West Coast facility is also under construction (scheduled to open mid-2022) which will further enhance the Company’s lyophilized pharmaceutical capabilities.

With a storied history that includes working with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide meals to troops and supporting NASA space missions (including products taken on every Apollo mission to the Moon), Oregon Freeze Dry is a pioneer in freeze-drying food applications that have superior flavor, long shelf-life and convenient preparation. From producing meals for the U.S. military to making products for on-the-go consumers and emergency preparedness under its own retail brand, MOUNTAIN HOUSE®, OFD has perfected the art and science of manufacturing superior tasting products that are nutrient-preserving while being clean-label and preservative-free. The Company’s Mountain House® brand, with omnichannel distribution across mass, club, eCommerce and specialty retail, is the unrivaled #1 freeze-dried brand in the adventure and outdoor meal category.

Leveraging the Company’s institutional “know-how” in technical, high-value added freeze-drying, OFD utilizes its proprietary LyoLock™ process to also produce customized critical inputs for multinational customers in the nutritional supplements, ingredients and pharmaceutical industries. OFD brings an innovative approach to designing and commercializing successful product concepts and is a key contract manufacturing partner to an enviable list of sophisticated customers.

Oregon Freeze Dry CEO Joe Folds and other senior leadership will continue to lead OFD from their headquarters in Albany, Oregon.

“For decades, Oregon Freeze Dry has set the standard of excellence in meals for consumers and the U.S. military, as well as serving as a trusted partner for our contract manufacturing customers,” said Folds. “Our ambition has always been to grow – across both new products and new capabilities – and we are excited to be partnering with Arbor, who completely shares our appetite and vision for continued ambitious growth.”

“Oregon Freeze Dry is the clear market leader for a broad range of high value-added products in thriving categories,” stated Arbor Partner Chris Tuffin. “The Company’s unmatched scale, Mountain House’s brand equity, and long-term relationships with blue-chip customers make this a compelling platform investment for Arbor.”

“The Oregon Freeze Dry team has a distinguished track record of successful new product development and is widely respected by customers and other freeze-dryers as the best in the business,” added Arbor Senior Operating Partner Tim Fallon. “With numerous opportunities to continue driving growth through innovation, new capabilities and category extensions, we look forward to partnering with Joe and the OFD leadership team to further accelerate growth.”

Winston & Strawn LLP served as Arbor’s legal counsel in connection with the transaction. Cascadia Capital served as Exclusive Financial Advisor and Stoel Rives LLP served as legal counsel to OFD.

Categories: News

Tags: