Category Archives: News

DIF Capital Partners invests in a portfolio of LNG assets

DIF

DIF Capital Partners, through its DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I (“DIF CIF I”), is pleased to announce that it has signed final documentation alongside ship-owner Geogas Maritime and Access Capital Partners for the acquisition of a 50% stake in a French incorporated company that will own and operate a fleet of five to-be-built LNG carriers. The remaining 50% will be held by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), a leading Japanese shipping and logistics company.

The five 174,000 cbm vessels will be built by leading South Korean shipyards and equipped with state-of-the-art LNG fuelled propulsion technology, resulting in best-in-class environmental performance. The first ship is expected to become operational in April 2020. All five ships will fly the French flag. The vessels will be chartered to a large French and a large European utility under long-term contracts and will be project financed under a customary French lease structure.

Thomas Vieillescazes, Head of France, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for DIF CIF I to invest in high quality assets and grow DIF’s footprint into the expanding LNG sector alongside strong and experienced counterparties. We’re also very proud to participate in a strategic project for the further development of the French LNG sector”.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF is an independent infrastructure fund manager, with €6.0 billion of assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in greenfield and brownfield infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams.
  • DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams.

DIF has a team of over 135 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact:
Allard Ruijs, Partner
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

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Cinven and Astorg to acquire LGC

Cinven

A consortium jointly led by Astorg and Cinven today announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire LGC, a global leader in the Life Sciences Tools sector.

LGC provides a comprehensive range of measurement tools, proficiency testing schemes, supply chain assurance standards and specialty genomics reagents underpinned by leading analytical and measurement science capabilities. Its scientific tools and solutions form an essential part of its customers’ quality assurance procedures and enable organisations to develop and commercialise new scientific products and advance research. The company serves customers across a number of end markets, including human healthcare, agri-food and the environment.

Established in 1842, today LGC employs more than 3,200 people, including many internationally-recognised scientific experts in their field. LGC is headquartered in the UK and serves almost 50,000 laboratories worldwide from its global office network spanning 22 countries across five continents.

Astorg and Cinven identified LGC as an attractive investment opportunity given its:

  • Leading positions in the healthcare, food and agriculture markets, underpinned by its long-standing reputation for scientific expertise and high quality products;
  • Strong performance and organic growth aided by investment in people, key capabilities, scientific R&D and infrastructure across the world;
  • Several recent highly complementary acquisitions and significant future development opportunities, given the fragmented nature of its markets and the opportunity to extend its capabilities into complementary areas;
  • High calibre management team, with Cinven and Astorg backing a highly experienced senior management team, led by Tim Robinson, CEO.

Supraj Rajagopalan, Partner at Cinven, said:

“Cinven’s investment in LGC was identified as a result of the Healthcare Sector team’s focus on the life sciences space. LGC is exposed to a wide range of diversified and fast growing end markets across the Standards and Genomics sectors and we look forward to working with the highly experienced management team to continue investing in strengthening and broadening LGC’s global footprint and portfolio of leading, high quality products.”

Francois de Mitry, Managing Partner at Astorg, added:

“We have been actively monitoring developments in the Life Sciences Tools market, with a particular focus on LGC, for over five years, and have been very impressed by LGC’s scientific capabilities and the resulting continuous organic growth. LGC represents a strong fit with Astorg’s strategy of investing in differentiated leading global B2B players headquartered in Western Europe and North America. Based on our sector work, we have already identified promising future M&A opportunities to actively work on the M&A-led growth in close cooperation with management.”

Tim Robinson, Chief Executive of LGC, commented:

“We are delighted that Astorg and Cinven have chosen to partner with LGC for the next chapter of our history. Cinven and Astorg have a strong track record of investing in and supporting the growth of global companies in the Life Sciences Tools sector. Together we will continue to invest in serving our customers and supporting the development of our employees. In the past few years, LGC has strengthened its international reach and grown significantly in its chosen markets. Astorg, Cinven and LGC’s senior management are aligned in building on this momentum with a clear strategy for growth, delivering Science for a Safer World.”

Cinven is a leading international private equity firm with a long track record of successfully investing in market-leading, growth-oriented companies serving the pharma and life sciences industry, including its investments in CeramTec, the manufacturer of high performance ceramics for application in the medical and industrial end-markets; and Sebia and Phadia – both in-vitro diagnostics companies. In addition, Cinven is currently invested in Synlab, a leading European clinical diagnostics laboratory group; and Stada, a leading global manufacturer of prescription generics and OTC products.

Astorg is a leading independent private equity firm with over €8 billion of assets under management. Astorg seeks to partner with entrepreneurial management teams to acquire market leading global companies headquartered in Western Europe and North America, working together to create value through the provision of strategic guidance, experienced governance, and adequate capital. Astorg enjoys a distinct entrepreneurial culture, a long-term shareholder perspective, and a lean decision-making body enhancing its reactivity. Though not specialised, Astorg has gathered valuable industry expertise in software, healthcare, business-to-business professional services, and technology-based industrial companies. Astorg has offices in London, Paris, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, and Milan.

Cinven and Astorg have more than 40 years history of investing in and supporting companies to drive value creation and reach their growth potential.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, with completion of the transaction subject to regulatory approval and other customary clearances.

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EQT Infrastructure to merge IP-Only and GlobalConnect

eqt

  • EQT Infrastructure to merge IP-Only and GlobalConnect to create a leading Northern European fiber-based datacom provider and supplier of cloud enabling infrastructure
  • The merger strengthens the combined company’s product and service offering in driving digital transformation for both B2B and B2C customers and provides a solid platform for accelerated investments in new technologies and continued fiber rollout
  • EQT Infrastructure is committed to actively supporting the combined company for further growth and expansion in key markets

EQT today announces the intention to combine EQT Infrastructure III and IV (“EQT Infrastructure”) portfolio companies GlobalConnect and IP-Only. The combined entity will be better positioned to serve the growing demand of national and international customers, and the scale of the combined organization will allow strengthened innovation and investment to bring new technologies and solutions faster to the market.

IP-Only owns and operates approximately 16,000 km fiber-based network infrastructure that, together with leased lines, covers 230 out of 290 Swedish municipalities. The company today connects more than 200,000 homes and serves more than 3,000 business customers.

GlobalConnect is the leading alternative fiber-based data communication and data center services provider in Norway, Denmark and Northern Germany. In total, the company owns and operates approximately 42,000 km of fiber-based network and 18,000 sqm of data center space, used to offer a full range of communication infrastructure services including bandwidth connectivity, colocation and cloud infrastructure to a range of businesses. GlobalConnect has around 24,000 business customers and serves around 83,000 private customers in Norway through its Homenet brand.

The intended merger between IP-Only and GlobalConnect will accelerate the two companies’ growth agendas. The combination will create a leading digital infrastructure provider to businesses, public institutions and consumers with comprehensive national and cross-border fiber networks and a unique position in Northern Europe.

In 2018 the two companies had combined revenues of approximately EUR 520 million and employ more than 1,500 people across the Nordics and Northern Germany.

Martin Lippert, CEO of GlobalConnect, will lead the joint organization. Lippert comments: “The vision of merging IP-Only and GlobalConnect is to create a leading provider of digital infrastructure for businesses, public institutions and fiber networks to consumers in the Nordics and Northern Germany, and we will have both the scale and competencies to deliver on that vision. Together, we can rapidly and more vigorously expand our infrastructure and offer the newest products and services to our customers.”

Daniel Perez, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure, comments: “We are deeply impressed with the development of GlobalConnect since the creation of the Danish-Norwegian group in 2018 and consider a merger between GlobalConnect and IP-Only to be a natural next step in our strategy to build the leading Northern European provider of integrated digital infrastructure.”

Masoud Homayoun, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure, concludes: “Based on similar strategic development trajectories and ambitions, we believe that a merger between IP-Only and GlobalConnect will create a combined organization and fiber networks with a compelling position in the region, and EQT will continue to support proactive investments to the benefit of customers and partners.”

The merger is expected to be implemented and a new organizational structure will be designed in the coming months. The two companies will continue to operate as separate entities with separate names and brands until further notice.

Contacts
Masoud Homayoun, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure, +46 8 506 553 48Daniel Perez, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure, +46 8 506 553 90
EQT Press office, +46 8 506 55 334, press@eqtpartners.com

About EQT
EQT is a differentiated global investment organization with more than EUR 62 billion in raised capital and around EUR 41 billion in assets under management across 20 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 21 billion and approximately 127,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on Twitter and LinkedIn

About IP-Only
IP-Only is a fast-growing independent provider of high capacity fiber-based data communication to consumers and enterprises in Sweden. IP-Only owns and operates high-capacity fiber network infrastructure. Founded in 1999, IP-Only today owns and operates ~16,000 km fiber-based network infrastructure that, together with leased lines, covers 230 out of 290 Swedish municipalities. The Company connects more than 200,000 homes and serves more than 3,000 companies.

IP-Only has more than 600 employees, revenues of SEK 2.0 billion in 2018 and headquarter in Stockholm and Uppsala in Sweden.

More info: www.ip-only.se

About GlobalConnect
GlobalConnect is the leading alternative fiber-based data communication and data center services provider in Norway, Denmark and Northern Germany. In total, the company operates approximately 42,000 km of fiber and 18,000 sqm of data center space, used to offer a full range of communication infrastructure services including bandwidth connectivity, colocation and cloud infrastructure to a range of businesses. GlobalConnect har has 24,000 B2B customers and also serves 83,000 private customers in Norway through its Homenet brand.

GlobalConnect has more than 900 employees, revenues of DKK 2.5 billion in 2018 and headquarter in Taastrup, Denmark and Fornebu, Norway.

More info: www.globalconnect.dk

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KKR Agrees Sale of LGC to Cinven and Astorg

KKR

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 21, 2019– KKR, a leading global investment firm, announces today it has agreed to sell LGC, a global leader in the Life Science Tools sector, to a consortium led by Cinven and Astorg. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

LGC provides a comprehensive range of measurement tools, proficiency testing schemes, supply chain assurance standards and specialty genomics reagents underpinned by leading analytical and measurement science capabilities. Its scientific tools and solutions form an essential part of its customers’ quality assurance procedures and enable organisations to develop and commercialise new scientific products and advance research. The company serves customers across a number of end markets, including human healthcare, agri-food and the environment. LGC’s revenue has risen to over £448m in 2019, with organic revenue growth accelerating to 10% pa since 2016.

Tim Robinson, CEO, LGC said: “Under KKR’s ownership, LGC has further built on its mission to deliver Science for a Safer World. Our company has extended its capabilities in the areas of chemical reference standards, clinical reference materials and controls, management system standards, oligo therapeutics and next-generation sequencing. We have achieved strong organic growth aided by investment in key sites in the UK, US, Germany and China and supplemented by a range of highly complementary acquisitions. We are delighted that Cinven and Astorg have chosen to partner with LGC for the next chapter of our history. Together we will continue to invest in serving our customers and supporting the development of our employees.”

Edouard Pillot, Member and EMEA Head of Industrials at KKR, said: “LGC is a good example of KKR’s successful approach in building great companies. We identified LGC as a strong and resilient business with significant potential for further growth, and worked alongside management to support them in harnessing this potential. Tim and the LGC team have done an outstanding job over the past 4 years building LGC into a global leader. We wish them every success during their next stage of growth.”

Kugan Sathiyanandarajah, Director in the Healthcare Industry Team and Head of Europe for the Healthcare Strategic Growth Fund, said: “In 2016, we saw significant potential to build a leading global life sciences tools platform across Standards and Genomics. Since then, we are delighted to have deployed the full range of KKR’s global platform and healthcare sector expertise to support the company to grow and enter new markets, particularly in the U.S. and Asia, both organically and inorganically.”

LGC has its headquarters near London, and employs over 3,200 employees across 22 countries.

-Ends-

For more information:

About LGC

LGC is a global leader in the Life Science Tools sector, which serves customers across a number of end markets, including human healthcare, agri-food & the environment. LGC provides a comprehensive range of measurement tools, proficiency testing schemes, supply chain assurance standards and specialty genomics reagents underpinned by leading analytical and measurement science capabilities. Its scientific tools and solutions form an essential part of its customers’ quality assurance procedures and enable organisations to develop and commercialise new scientific products and advance research.

LGC’s 3,200+ employees include internationally-recognised scientists who are experts in their field. Headquartered in London, it operates out of 22 countries worldwide and is extensively accredited to quality standards such as GMP, GLP, ISO 13485, ISO 17034, ISO 17043, ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001.

LGC has been home to the UK Government Chemist for more than 100 years and is the UK National Measurement Laboratory and Designated Institute for chemical and bio measurement. LGC has been privately-owned since 1996 and has diversified through internal investment and acquisition to be an international leader in its chosen markets.

For more information, please visit www.lgcgroup.com

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Source: KKR

KKR:
Alastair Elwen
Finsbury
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7251 3801
Email: alastair.elwen@finsbury.com

LGC
Guenaelle Holloway
Phone: + 44 (0) 20 8943 7563
Email: guenaelle.holloway@lgcgroup.com

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Combinostic raises €3.9M round led by Industrifonden and NordicNinja

Industriefonden

November 21, 2019
Combinostic computer screen of brain scan

Today we are excited to announce that we are leading a €3.9M series A funding round in Finnish health tech pioneer Combinostics. Combionstics is a cloud platform for quantitative assessment of brain images and for providing clinical decision support in neurological disorders. It is used by healthcare professionals to accelerate Alzheimer diagnoses and bring forward the start of treatment.

The company joins a family of brilliant science based startups that are improving health outcomes globally by building category-leading products. This investment represents another step for our long-term commitment to health tech innovation and scale the impact of science for the benefit of society.

“Combinostics has built a product platform from cutting-edge research that will enhance neurology departments worldwide. Their platform supports improved diagnostic accuracy and treatment choice by combining all relevant biomarkers with advanced brain image quantification, leading to improved health in neurology patients”, says Patrik Sobocki, Investment Manager at Industrifonden and responsible for the Combinostic investment.

As there are no effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, early-stage diagnosis combined with symptomatic treatment and lifestyle intervention can make a drastic difference to quality of life in later years. Combinostic SaaS-solution, cNeuro, is a data driven clinical decision support tool that fits the workflow of radiologists and neurologists or other doctors specialised in memory disorders.

We believe that Combinostics have what it takes to succeed on their mission to ensure that Alzheimer and other memory disorders can be diagnosed in the future, before any symptoms appear. We are very proud to welcome Combinostic to the family.

To read more about Combinostics, please visit https://www.cneuro.com/

 

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Affiliate of Sun Capital Partners to Sell SOS Security

Sun Capital

 

Sun Capital Partners, Inc. (“Sun Capital” or “Sun”), a leading private investment firm specializing in leveraged buyouts and investments in market-leading companies, today announced that an affiliate has signed a definitive agreement to sell SOS Security LLC (“SOS” or the “Company”), a leading provider of outsourced security services and solutions. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

SOS specializes in providing security and protection services to clients across a wide range of industries such as financial services, retail, technology and communications, real estate and property management, hospitality and entertainment, and government. The Company has offices in approximately 70 cities across the U.S. and has carried out security work in more than 80 countries.

“We recognized the significant potential in SOS as a global security platform, and from day one we applied our operations expertise to help the Company reach its potential,” said Marc Leder, Co-CEO of Sun Capital. “We equipped SOS with the tools they needed to scale efficiently, and the support and resources to execute the plan.”

Under the Sun affiliate’s ownership, SOS successfully completed three strategic add-on acquisitions, expanding operations in the Northeast and on the West Coast.

“I’ve had a great relationship with Sun Capital,” said Edward Silverman, Founder and CEO of SOS. “Their operational knowledge, dedication and understanding of my objectives as a founder made them an ideal partner.”

“SOS is a great example of how Sun Capital partners with founder-owned businesses and provides them with resources that take them to the next level,” added Daniel Florian, Managing Director at Sun Capital. “Eddie and his executive team have been fantastic partners, and SOS is now better positioned than ever for its next phase of growth.”

Sun Capital has strong experience acquiring and building founder-owned businesses such as Horizon Services, Admiral Petroleum Company & Lemmen Oil Company, and Demilec Inc.

 

 

Media Contact
Emily Meringolo
Stanton
646-502-3599
emeringolo@StantonPRM.com

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DIF Capital Partners closes the acquisition of 100% of energy platform BluEarth Renewables

DIF

DIF Capital Partners, through its most recent fund DIF Infrastructure V (“DIF V”), is pleased to have closed the acquisition of 100% of BluEarth Renewables LP (“BluEarth”) from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (“OTPP”).

BluEarth is a leading, independent, power producer that develops, builds, owns and operates wind, hydro and solar facilities. Since its inception in 2010, BluEarth has developed and acquired 19 hydro, wind and solar projects across North America, representing 405 MW of gross capacity. In addition it has over 1,000 MW of projects under development. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, the company has been recognized as one of Alberta’s Top 75 Employers.

“We are very pleased to close this transaction,” said Paul Huebener, Partner and Head of DIF Americas. “BluEarth is an attractive investment that will provide attractive returns and stable cash flows to our investors. As we’ve been working together over the last several months, we also see strong growth potential ahead for BluEarth – particularly in the U.S. market.”

To support the company’s U.S. growth objectives, BluEarth recently established a commercial U.S. office located in Phoenix, Arizona.

DIF V was advised by Baker McKenzie, BMO Capital Markets, Agentis Capital, and KPMG. Financing is provided by BMO, Desjardins, and National Bank.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF is an independent infrastructure fund manager, with €5.6 billion of assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in greenfield and brownfield infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • DIF Infrastructure funds target equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, utilities and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams.
  • DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams.

DIF has a team of over 135 professionals, based in nine offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact:
Allard Ruijs, Partner
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

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Diab expands in India

Ratos

Diab together with the partner SKAPS Ltd India is expanding in the Indian market, setting up a new PET foam production line in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

India is one of the fastest growing markets for wind power expansion the coming years and therefore a strategically important country for Diab’s position. The PET foam production plant, which is a joint investment between Diab and SKAPS, will produce Diab’s Divinycell PET range products. The material from which the products are manufactured is developed to meet the design for the rotor blades in an optimal way with the aim to reduce the cost in the manufacturing.

“India, as one of the world’s largest wind power markets, is an important market for Diab and we significantly strengthen our presence with the new production facility. SKAPS were chosen to be our partner based on their strong management, proven manufacturing experience and high level of quality,” says Diab’s CEO Tobias Hahn.

The plan is to start supplying the local Indian market already in the first quarter of 2021.

For further information, please contact:
Jonas Wiström, CEO and Business Area President Industry, Ratos, +46 8 700 17 00
Helene Gustafsson, Head of IR and Press, Ratos, +46 8 700 17 98

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CapMan Buyout has sold its shares in Harvia Plc

CapMan Buyout press release 19 November 2019 at 6.00 p.m. EET

CapMan Buyout has sold its shares in Harvia Plc

CapMan Buyout X Fund A L.P and CapMan Buyout X Fund B Ky (together the “funds managed by CapMan”) have sold all their shares in Harvia Plc (“Harvia”) to Onvest Oy. The funds managed by CapMan sold a total of 2,305,679 Company’s shares, which is 12.3 per cent of the shares and votes in Harvia. The price in the share sale was EUR 9.25 per share and the gross sales proceeds amounted to approximately EUR 21.3 million.

The funds managed by CapMan owned the majority of Harvia’s shares before the company’s IPO in March 2018, and they continued as significant investors of Harvia after the listing.

Pia Kåll, Managing Partner of CapMan Buyout, comments: “Harvia has been a great investment for CapMan, and we are proud of Harvia’s excellent performance as a listed company. We invested in Harvia in 2014, and the Company has since implemented the growth strategy that we together with the management developed for it. As a result, Harvia has strengthened its position as one of the leading sauna and spa companies in the world. Harvia is positioned to continue to perform well in the future. However, as owning shares of a listed company lies beyond the strategy of our funds, it was time for us to relinquish our ownership and finalise our exit. We believe Onvest Oy will be a strong long-term anchor investor for Harvia.”

“Harvia is a solid and very profitable company, whose strong Finnish roots and great brand fit exceptionally well with Onvest’s values and investment strategy. Harvia has succeeded with its growth strategy and we believe Harvia’s strategic direction is correct. We are extremely pleased to be taking a role in Harvia’s development”, says Kalle Kekkonen, Onvest Managing Director.

Further information:
Pia Kåll, Managing Partner, CapMan Buyout, +358 207 207 555

About CapMan
CapMan Buyout is part of CapMan Group, a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value-creation in its portfolio companies and assets, with assets under management of more than €3 billion. CapMan has a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. The investment strategies cover Private Equity, Real Estate and Infra. CapMan also has a growing service business that includes procurement services, fundraising advisory, and analysis, reporting and wealth management services. Altogether, CapMan employs 140 people in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London, Moscow and Luxembourg. For more information, please visit www.capman.com

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Platinum Equity Acquires Global Marine Contractor De Wave Group

Platinum

LOS ANGELES (October 30, 2019) – Platinum Equity today announced the acquisition of De Wave Group from Xenon Private Equity. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Genoa, Italy, De Wave is a marine contractor that specializes in cruise ship interiors, providing both new build and refit services to ship builders and cruise operators.

“With more than 60 years in the maritime industry, De Wave is an experienced and highly respected partner to many of the world’s leading ship builders and operators,” said Platinum Equity Partner Louis Samson. “The company’s exceptional design, engineering and technical capabilities, combined with its high quality standards and global reach, have led to impressive long-term customer relationships and a strong track record of growth.”

De Wave operates five facilities in Italy, Poland, Singapore and the United States, with vertically integrated production lines that offer full control throughout the product development process.

“We have built a successful global business by consistently delivering well-designed, high-quality solutions to our marine customers,” said De Wave CEO Giovanni Battisa Bozzo. “I am confident that Platinum Equity is the right partner to help us achieve the next stage of growth and expansion.”

“With more than 60 years in the maritime industry, De Wave is an experienced and highly respected partner to many of the world’s leading ship builders and operators,” said Platinum Equity Partner Louis Samson. “The company’s exceptional design, engineering and technical capabilities, combined with its high quality standards and global reach, have led to impressive long-term customer relationships and a strong track record of growth.”

De Wave specializes in all aspects of ship interiors, including cabins, bathroom units, galley catering systems and public areas. The company also provides extensive upgrade, maintenance and spare parts capabilities, providing solutions for the full lifecycle of its customer’s vessels.

“The company’s position today is the result of a build-up operation started in 2015 by Xenon Private Equity that led in four years to the creation of a leader in its market,” said Franco Prestigiacomo, Managing Director of Xenon Private Equity. “It is with great satisfaction that we pass the baton to Platinum, which we are sure will be the ideal partner to pursue continued growth of the De Wave Group.”

Mr. Samson said Platinum Equity will support De Wave’s long-term ambitions for continued growth.

“We intend to further grow the business organically and through prospective acquisitions, with an emphasis on expanding the company’s product offering into areas of the supply chain or manufacturing process that can add more value for customers,” Mr. Samson added.

Platinum Equity’s acquisition of De Wave is the latest example of the firm’s increasing momentum in Europe. In June Platinum Equity acquired Spanish seafood provider Iberconsa. Last year Platinum Equity completed the $2.1 billion acquisition of Zug, Switzerland and Chesterbrook, PA-based blood glucose monitoring company LifeScan from Johnson & Johnson. The firm also acquired Wyndham’s European vacation rental business for $1.3 billion.

Brera Financial Advisory, Deloitte, E&Y Tax and Latham & Watkins served as advisors to Platinum Equity on the acquisition of De Wave. Fineurop Soditic and Pavia e Ansaldo Studio Legale served as advisors to Xenon Private Equity.

About Platinum Equity
Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with more than $19 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world. The firm is currently investing from Platinum Equity Capital Partners IV, a $6.5 billion global buyout fund, and Platinum Equity Small Cap Fund, a $1.5 billion buyout fund focused on investment opportunities in the lower middle market. Platinum Equity specializes in mergers, acquisitions and operations – a trademarked strategy it calls M&A&O® – acquiring and operating companies in a broad range of business markets, including manufacturing, distribution, transportation and logistics, equipment rental, metals services, media and entertainment, technology, telecommunications and other industries. Over the past 25 years Platinum Equity has completed more than 250 acquisitions.

About Xenon Private Equity
Xenon has 30 years of experience in investing in lower mid-market export-oriented industrial businesses based in Italy now Xenon is managing its seventh fund with €300 million of commitments having asset under management for over € 600 million. Xenon is specialised in collaborating with the entrepreneurs in build-up projects (in 30 years more than 120 acquisitions have been completed), it is currently managing 10 portfolio company across different industries.

Contacts:

Dan Whelan, Platinum Equity
(310) 282-9202
dwhelan@platinumequity.com

Franco Prestigiacomo, Xenon Private Equity
Franco.Prestigiacomo@xenonpe.com

Ilaria Fadda, De Wave Group
ilaria.fadda@dewavegroup.com

Investor Relations
and Media Contacts:

Mark Barnhill
Partner
+1 310.228.9514 E-mail Mark

Dan Whelan
Principal
+1 310.282.9202 E-mail Dan

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