White & Case LLP has advised Stabilus S.A. on the financing for the acquisition of ACE, Hahn Gasfedern, Fabreeka and TechProducts from Swedish SKF Group.

Stabilus has its operational headquarters in Koblenz, Germany and employs approximately 4,400 people worldwide. The company is a globally active automotive and industrial supplier that develops and produces electromechanical drives as well as gas springs and hydraulic dampers.

The acquisition will strengthen its industrial business unit by expanding its product portfolio and tapping new customer groups. The companies being acquired are leading industrial suppliers in the fields of motion control, dampening and vibration control that supply a large variety of clients and industry segments. The transaction is scheduled to close during the third quarter of 2016 and is subject to regulatory approval.

All four companies are established brand names in the industry and have a combined total of around 540 employees worldwide. ACE has supported industrial customers with dampers and shock absorbers for more than 50 years. Hahn Gasfedern has been manufacturing gas springs since 1960 for various industrial applications. Fabreeka and TechProducts were founded in 1918 and specialize in products for the reduction of vibrations, which are used in a large variety of machines, instruments and utility vehicle components.

White & Case advised Stabilus on the transaction's complex financing structure, including the financing-related M&A aspects. The Frankfurt deal team was led by partners Gernot Wagner and Vanessa Schuermann and local partners Rebecca Emory and Hendrik Roehricht, with support from local partner Daniel Müller and associates Robert Zehbe, Garrett Greggrey Gunchick, Martin Wilhelm and Domenico Schwan.