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NORD Holding's successful transaction in selling the Dr. Födisch Group to ABB
NORD Holding sold its shares in the Dr. Födisch Group, a leading company in environmental, process and analysis technology, to ABB. The global technology group in the fields of electrification and automation has acquired all shares in the Dr. Födisch Group, thus expanding its offering of emission monitoring. By widening its portfolio, ABB is enabling its customers to solve the most demanding measurement tasks. Thanks to ABB's global sales and service network, customers benefit from a comprehensive suite of solutions that help address the world's energy and sustainability challenges.
IFBC acted as the exclusive Financial- and M&A-Advisor for NORD Holding, the majority owner of the Dr. Födisch Group. The private equity and asset management company, which positions itself as a transformation partner for growth and innovation, praised the good and successful cooperation with IFBC.
Andreas Bösenberg, Managing Partner and Marcel Rosengarten, Investment Manager at NORD Holding, share their experiences of this transaction.
NORD Holding can look back on over 50 years of experience in the DACH region. During this time, we have established ourselves as a reliable partner and have consistently generated returns for our broad investor base. Our recipe for success is based on two main pillars: Firstly, we specialize in developing tailor-made succession solutions together with entrepreneurial families. Secondly, our companies make targeted investments in research and development, production capacities and team development. These investments not only improve the innovative strength and competitiveness of the companies, but also secure jobs and locations. Our entire approach is aimed at taking medium-sized "hidden champions" to the next level of development and growth. Through this long-term and sustainable strategy, we create added value for all stakeholders and lay the foundations for continued success.
ABB is the right strategic partner for the Dr. Födisch Group for several reasons. The products of the Dr. Födisch Group expand and strengthen ABB's portfolio in emission monitoring. In addition, ABB's global sales and service platform offers the opportunity to roll out the Dr. Födisch Group's products and solutions internationally. Another key aspect is ABB's appeal as a global technology group. ABB stands for innovation and sustainability - values that harmonize with the DNA of the Dr. Födisch Group. This credibility and reputation are crucial for the successful integration of a medium-sized company like the Dr. Födisch Group, particularly with regard to the acceptance of local employees.
The sale of the Dr. Födisch Group took place at a time when important milestones for successful further development had already been reached. The transition from an owner-managed to a management-run company was successfully implemented and strategic investments were made in recent years that have decisively advanced the Dr. Födisch Group. These include the construction of a new production hall, the targeted strengthening of the team with service and sales staff, the establishment of necessary corporate structures and the development of new product generations. In addition, three technology-driven acquisitions have further strengthened the company. The next logical step for the Dr. Födisch Group was broad internationalization. However, this challenge requires the resources and global presence of a strategic partner such as ABB. Thanks to the conditions created, the group was ideally prepared for this process.
Yes, of course - as in every transaction, there were also challenging situations here. That is part of such a process and is ultimately what makes it so appealing. One particular aspect was that strategic investors like ABB have a different approach to traditional financial investors. These differences require a high degree of flexibility and understanding in order to align priorities and work out a balance of interests. In the end, we were able to work very constructively with the ABB team and resolve all differences together.
Our many years of experience give us confidence and we know that companies around the world have challenging measurement tasks to solve when it comes to emission monitoring. Accordingly, we are very positive about the future of the Dr. Födisch Group as part of ABB and wish the entire team all the best. With the sale to the global technology leader ABB, we can once again prove that we create real value.
IFBC supported the operational team of the Dr. Födisch Group on numerous important issues and was a very good sparring partner throughout all project phases. We greatly appreciated the cooperation with Thomas Vettiger and his team and would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone involved. The sale was a joint success.
IFBC prepared the transaction competently and ensured clarity with clear project management. The combination of entrepreneurship and empathy as well as IFBC's clean energy transition expertise led to a high level of mutual trust among all parties involved, which had a very positive impact on the transaction.
Andreas Bösenberg, Managing Partner of NORD Holding, has been active in the private equity industry for over 20 years, with a focus on the mid-market segment. He gained extensive experience in leading international private equity firms such as Quadriga, Brockhaus, 3i and VTB. He joined NORD Holding in 2018 and contributes his expertise to the strategic development and implementation of investment projects.
Marcel Rosengarten, Investment Manager, has been with NORD Holding for seven years and contributes his extensive financial and investment know-how to the development of investment strategies for the mid-market. Previously, he gained valuable experience at Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, in Investment Banking ECM at Commerzbank and in auditing at PwC.
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