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Ergon Capital Partners III acquires svt, a leading German provider of passive fire protection products and installation services, as well as restoration management

Brussels, 27 November 2017 – Ergon Capital Partners III S.A. (“Ergon”) announced today that it signed an agreement to acquire svt Holding GmbH (“svt”), one of the leading providers of preventive passive fire protection products and installation services as well as restoration management from funds advised by IK Investment Partners. svt’s Management will reinvest alongside Ergon in the transaction.

Established in Seevetal/Hamburg in 1969, svt is the second largest German provider of passive fire protection products and installation services and one of the leading restoration management companies in Germany, with c. €115 million of sales. The passive fire protection business comprises the full value chain from R&D to manufacturing as well as installation services of fire preventing and resistant products that are sold either to OEM, wholesalers or construction customers. svt is a pioneer in passive fire protection systems since 1977 and the only player being forward integrated into passive fire protection installation. Blue chip customers like Siemens, Bombardier, CRCC, Airbus, OBO Bettermann and Würth rely on svt passive fire protection products. Landmark passive fire protection installation references include the European Central Bank building and the Eurotower in Frankfurt. In addition, svt offers one-stop-shop services in restoration management specializing in fire, water and natural hazard damage restoration as well as pollutant removal. svt has a network of 32 branches across Germany and subsidiaries in Poland, Singapore and Dubai.

Commenting on the acquisition, Steffen Gerdau, CEO of svt, said: “The management team is excited to have Ergon as new investor and is looking forward to pursuing further organic and inorganic growth opportunities for svt. We are convinced to have found in Ergon, as a patrimonial investor with exceptional international reach, the right partner to further develop svt.”

Wolfgang de Limburg, Managing Partner of Ergon, commented: “Ergon is enthusiastic to team up with Steffen Gerdau and his team to further pursue svt’s ambitious growth strategy. We are committed to support svt’s organic growth, product expansion and internationalization.” Nils Lüssem, Partner at Ergon Capital Advisors in Germany, added: “svt is an excellent platform within passive fire protection, a niche market with attractive sector fundamentals and sound historic and future growth prospects, driven by increasing fire protection regulations.”

Closing of the transaction is subject to customary antitrust approvals.

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About svt

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Seevetal/Hamburg, svt is a leading provider of preventive passive fire protection products and installation management services, as well as restoration management specializing in fire, water and natural hazard damage restoration as well as pollutant removal. With ~450 employees, svt serves its customers through its network of 32 branches across Germany, and with additional support from the Group’s subsidiaries in Singapore, Dubai and Poland.

For more information on svt, please visit www.international.svt.de.

About Ergon Capital Partners III

Ergon Capital Partners III is a mid-market private equity investment company with

~€500 million under management backed by family-controlled Groupe Bruxelles Lambert, through its fully-owned subsidiary Sienna Capital, as cornerstone investor, and selected European institutional investors. Ergon is a disciplined and discreet value investor, which provides “patient and friendly capital” to entrepreneurs and managers, who need capital and industrial solutions to accelerate the development of their companies. Ergon makes equity investments from €25 million up to €75 million in leading companies with a sustainable competitive position in attractive niche markets located in the Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Iberia and Switzerland. Ergon is advised by Ergon Capital Advisors which has offices in Brussels, Paris, Munich, Milan and Madrid.

Since its inception in 2005, Ergon, together with its two preceding investment programs invested in 18 companies (of which 5 in the Benelux, 7 in Italy, 2 in France, 1 in Spain and 3 in Germany) and has completed 26 add-on acquisitions for a total aggregate transaction value in excess of €3 billion. Ergon’s current portfolio consist of 8 companies in various sectors encompassing luxury, specialty retail, industrial manufacturing and services, healthcare, media, leisure and gastronomy.

For more information on Ergon, please visit www.ergoncapital.com.

 

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