DLA Piper has advised Unify GmbH & Co. KG on the sale of Leipzig Electronic Systems GmbH. Two complex, long term manufacturing agreements were of particular importance for the Leipzig-based system service provider, creating an array of complicated legal issues

The sale of Leesys has seen Unify dispose of its last German production location for system telephones and other electronic goods to a consortium of German private investors. Leesys will remain as a supplier for the Unify Group in future.

Unify is a worldwide leader for communications software and services and supplies approximately 75 per cent of the Global 500 companies with its integrated communications solutions. Unify is a joint venture of Siemens AG and the Gores Group, a US private equity investor.

With a turnover of approximately EUR 185 million Leesys is the second largest EMS service provider in Germany and employs over 400 people at its Leipzig location. The company develops, produces and tests electronic products for clients from the fields of telecommunications, automotive, medical engineering, industrial automation and consumer electronics.

The DLA Piper team was led by partner Dr Thilo von Bodungen (Trade and Distribution, Munich) and included partner Dr Dietmar Schulz (Restructuring, Frankfurt), counsels Dr Burkhard Führmeyer (Intellectual Property & Technology, Frankfurt) and Britta Hinzpeter (Intellectual Property & Technology, Munich) as well as senior associate Silke Goschler and associate Olga Blaszczyk (both Trade and Distribution, Munich).