goetzpartners exclusively advised The Riverside Company and Halder on the sale of KEYMILE to NASDAQ-listed DASAN Zhone Solutions

goetzpartners Corporate Finance exclusively advised The Riverside Company and Halder, the 100% shareholders of KEYMILE, on the disposal of their shares to NASDAQ-listed DASAN Zhone Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: DZSI or “DZS”). The transaction was successfully closed in January 2019 after obtaining Foreign Trade Ordinance (Außenwirtschaftsverordnung – “AWV”) clearance.

DZS, a global leader in fiber access transformation for enterprises and the telecom industry, acquired KEYMILE, a leading solution provider and manufacturer of telecommunication systems for broadband access. The acquisition aims to further strengthen DZS’s portfolio of broadband access solutions to offer a series of multi-service access platforms for FTTx network architectures, including ultra-fast broadband copper access based on VDSL/Vectoring & G.Fast technology. Additionally, this strategic acquisition further expands DZS’s global footprint and accelerates the company’s vision of empowering global advancement.

As exclusive financial advisor to the sellers, goetzpartners successfully managed the complex disposal process by aligning all transaction stakeholders with their individual goals and expectations across three continents, Oakland/USA, Seoul/Korea and Hanover/Germany. Read more

goetzpartners provided strategic advice to the board of Merck KGaaAon the sale of its consumer health business to The Procter & Gamble Company

goetzpartners Corporate Finance GmbH provided strategic advice to the Board of Merck KGaA on the sale of its Consumer Health business to The Procter & Gamble Company.

Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced today that it has signed an agreement to sell its global Consumer Health business to Procter & Gamble (P&G) for approximately € 3.4 billion in cash, or approximately $ 4.2 billion at current exchange rates. The transaction, which is expected to close by the end of the fourth quarter 2018, is subject to regulatory approvals and satisfaction of certain other customary closing conditions. Merck intends to use the net proceeds from the divestiture primarily to accelerate deleveraging. At the same time, it will allow Merck to increase flexibility to strengthen all three business sectors.

“The divestment of the Consumer Health business is an important step in Merck’s strategic focus on innovation driven businesses within Healthcare, Life Science and Performance Materials. It is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to actively shape our portfolio as a leading science and technology company. The attractive price reflects the high asset value and the performance Consumer Health has delivered,” said Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck. “Consumer Health is a strong business that deserves the best possible opportunities for its future development. With P&G we have found a strong, highly recognized player who has the necessary scale to successfully drive the business going forward.”

“P&G’s global scale and strategic interest in the health and well-being of consumers provide an excellent basis for accelerating growth, leveraging our teams’ capabilities and expanding the Consumer Health business profitably. The marketed portfolios, product pipelines and geographic footprints of both businesses are highly complementary,” said Belén Garijo, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Healthcare. “With this transaction, we continue to rigorously deliver on our strategy to become a global specialty innovator and bring breakthrough medicines to patients.” Read more

goetzpartners advised AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA on the acquisition of VAG from Rexnord Corporation.

goetzpartners advised AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (“AURELIUS”) on the acquisition of VAG, the Mannheim-based manufacturer of water and waste water valves from U.S.-based Rexnord. With approx. 1,200 employees, VAG generated sales of almost EUR 200 million in its 2017/18 financial year. The transaction is to be finalized in Q4 2018.

As a globally active company, VAG is one of the leading suppliers of valves for water treatment and distribution, waste water management, dams, power stations and the energy industry. VAG is known and appreciated throughout the world for its market-leading know-how in product development and bears the quality seal “Engineering made in Germany.” The company has six production facilities in Germany, the Czech Republic, China, India, South Africa and the United States, as well as 14 own sales offices that sell VAG’s products and services in more than 100 countries of the world. VAG operates both in the global project business and in the production and distribution of standard applications.

“VAG is an exciting company with great potential, which we want to realize by completing the restructuring,” said Gert Purkert, Member of the Executive Board of AURELIUS Equity Opportunities. “Also in the coming months, we expect further acquisitions and add-on-acquisitions to strengthen our existing portfolio companies.” Read more

goetzpartners advised Ardian expansion for the acquisition of a majority stake in Opteven

goetzpartners advised KKR-Backed SoftwareOne on the acquisition of COMPAREX

goetzpartners advised SoftwareONE, a global leading platform, solutions and services company backed by the private equity investor KKR, on the acquisition of 100% of the shares in COMPAREX, a global IT service provider, from Raiffeisen Informatik.

By coming together, COMPAREX will enhance SoftwareONE’s customer offerings by combining industry leading talent, expertise and capabilities. Following the combination, SoftwareONE will help customers optimize and manage an estimated €10 bn in software purchases. The combined company will have an expanded global reach across 88 countries, allowing customers to receive on-the-ground, local-language support wherever they operate, from more than 5,500 employees. A comprehensive services and solutions portfolio, driven by proven and continued investment in innovation, will provide customers with more advanced solutions, including SoftwareONE’s PyraCloud, an industry-leading platform for digital software supply chain management.

“As a private company, we carefully review potential acquisitions to ensure that we are best utilizing our capital. Along with our investor KKR, we spent considerable time intensely searching for the ideal partner and are convinced we have found it with COMPAREX. Together, we will be driven by SoftwareONE’s core values as we continue to transform the industry. SoftwareONE’s founders will remain majority shareholders of the combined company," said Daniel von Stockar, Chairman of SoftwareONE Board of Directors. Read more