Summa enters into a new phase after a successful expansion under Gimv ownership resulting in more than doubling of its turnover. To support further growth, Ergon acquires Summa alongside management.

With its digital finishing solutions, Summa (Gistel – BE, www.summa.com) responds to the evolutions in the attractive digital printing industry. The ongoing market shift from analog to digital printing creates high production flexibility and enables mass customization of products, driving demand for digital cutting tools. Technological evolutions result in an ever-increasing range of materials that can be printed and cut digitally, such as cardboard, stickers and textiles. The product portfolio expansion – from roll cutters to flatbed and laser cutting equipment – is fully aligned with Summa’s motto ‘if you can print it, we can cut it’.

In 2016, Gimv acquired a majority stake in Summa alongside the management team. Summa expanded quickly by establishing its own organization in the US (2017), expanding organically its flatbed product portfolio, entering the market of laser cutting for textiles through the acquisition of UK-based CadCam Technology (2018), and launching its own software platform GoSuite (2019). Summa has achieved impressive growth and has doubled its turnover since Gimv’s entry. Today, Summa employs more than 150 people with sites in Belgium (Gistel), the UK (Nottingham), the US (Boston area) and Singapore.

Summa will continue to develop its product portfolio and expand its geographical presence. With its innovative digital cutting solutions, Summa has everything to cater to all the needs of its global client base. To assist management in its ambitions and to continue investing in the company’s accelerated growth, Summa has entered a partnership with Ergon, an independent, mid-market value investor with a track record of fostering growth at innovative, niche companies.

Erwin Vandousselaere, CEO of Summa, explains: “Together with Gimv, it has been a great journey over the past 5 years and we are grateful to them for that. We are now at the start with our new partner Ergon, in whom we have full confidence to continue our planned growth. Summa’s performance has been excellent, as the company invested in geographical expansion, product upgrades and new innovations and will continue to do so.”

Tom Van de Voorde, Managing Partner and Head of the Gimv Smart Industries platform, on this growth story: “From a ‘hidden champion’, Summa is evolving into a global market leader through resolute investments in new products and software development, entering new segments and establishing partnerships with market leaders in the printing industry. The collaboration with the Summa team and our joint ambitions have led to impressive organic growth. Companies like Summa make us optimistic about the industrial potential of Europe in the years to come.”

Pieter Lambrecht, Partner at Ergon, on this new partnership: “We are truly impressed by Summa’s strong growth and innovation track record and the clear vision of Erwin and his team. Summa’s international footprint and entrepreneurial DNA fit very well with that of Ergon, making us proud to embark on this partnership. We look forward to supporting the company in its next phase of accelerated and international growth.”

This transaction has a positive impact of about 1 euro per share on Gimv’s net asset value as per 31 March 2021. No further financial details will be disclosed.

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• Gimv enters a partnership with Klotter, a leading and fast-growing electrical engineering company
• Werner Klotter, founder and co-owner, joins the advisory board; internal appointees Eric Albrecht and Fabian Klotter form new management team

Gimv has invested in Klotter, setting the first cornerstone for further growth in this fragmented market. Klotter Elektrotechnik (Rheinau, DE – www.klotter.de) offers end-to-end electrical engineering solutions, including service and maintenance, in the fields of transformer stations, industrial automation, distribution boards and building technology. The company, founded in 1997 by Werner Klotter and Roswitha Wiegert-Klotter, employs around 60 people and enjoys an excellent reputation in both its sector and home region.

With its focus on planning and implementation of electrical installations, Klotter sets high quality standards and is already at the forefront of digitalisation in its sector. Its customers include industrial companies as well as hospitals and data centres. The electrical engineering sector is expected to grow strongly in the future, driven by technological advances as well as increasing electrification and digitalisation.

As part of the partnership with Gimv, Klotter is planning for significant growth with both existing and new customers and for a corresponding increase in staff. Further growth is also planned through acquisitions in the fragmented electrical engineering market and in adjacent segments where Klotter will be able share its expertise in the areas of digitalisation, quality assurance and process efficiency. Werner Klotter will support the group as an advisory board member, while Eric Albrecht and Fabian Klotter advance from within the company’s ranks to form the new management team of Klotter.

“With Gimv, we have found a strong partner with longstanding experience in developing and expanding mid-sized businesses. I am convinced that Klotter Elektrotechnik will continue to grow and, at the same time, keep its entrepreneurial and agile company spirit. In addition, we can now acquire companies in our region and further afield. Our employees can look optimistically into the future”, explains Werner Klotter, founder of Klotter Elektrotechnik and co-owner.

Maja Markovic, Partner at Gimv and responsible for Gimv’s Sustainable Cities platform in the DACH region, adds: “In the coming years, the electrical installation sector will see strong growth, especially due to upgrading of outdated buildings and infrastructure, electrification and digitalization of production and buildings as well as increasing electromobility. We are pleased to have set a first cornerstone in this field with such an exciting and dynamic company as Klotter.”

The investment is part of Gimv’s Sustainable Cities platform, which focuses on both B2B services and sustainability across a range of sectors. The transaction has been closed and represents Gimv’s sixth transaction in 2021 as well as the sixth buy & build investment in the DACH region. Further financial details will not be disclosed.

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The electrification of the vehicles on our roads is gathering pace. With a concern for greater sustainability and driven by climate standards and emerging legislation, many car brands are rolling out their e-models more quickly. An increasing pain point for electric cars is the fire safety of batteries. Lithium-ion battery cells can overheat, which in a chain reaction (‘thermal runaway’) can lead to a rapid and life-threatening fire.

It is precisely this risk to which IPC’s innovative technology provides an answer. Responding to the rapid arrival of electric cars and stricter fire safety regulations, IPC has developed a new solution for coating EV battery housings. IPC’s unique fireproof coating outperforms competing technologies and has generated interest among electric vehicle manufacturers worldwide. Where IPC has in-house expertise in fire-resistant coatings, Alro Group specialises in the professional application of coatings on a large industrial scale, including for demanding automotive industry customers. The cooperation and complementarity of Alro Group and IPC create a promising future.

Christophe Van Quickenborne, Partner at Gimv, explains: “In the past year, Alro Group has taken some very attractive steps in the functional coating of EV parts. In addition to the Audi e-Tron, Alro now also provides the functional surface treatment of critical parts of Volvo and Porsche electric powertrains. IPC’s innovative fire protection coating is a particularly attractive additional product that will enable Alro Group to accelerate its strong growth in the EV segment. We are of course also very pleased to be able to contribute in this way to the further and safer greening of the world’s vehicle fleet.”

For more information, we refer to the attached press release of Alro and IPC.

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