Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Japan's IDEC on the US$252 million acquisition of French industrial group APEM from Intermediate Capital Group Luxembourg.

Osaka-based IDEC is a major player in the industrial automation market with leadership positions in Japan and globally for many of its products.

APEM is a French company specialised in human machine interfaces with strong positions in Europe and the USA, serving many different industries such as defence, agriculture and material handling, and brings complementary sales, business models and markets to IDEC.

The team was co-led by corporate partners Frédéric Bouvet in Paris and Graeme Preston in Tokyo, assisted by of counsel Magali Fernandes and associates Camille Lartigue and Céline Le Bot in Paris and associate Emma Stones in Tokyo.

The Paris team also included partner Florence Chérel, of counsel Jean-Marc Peyron and associate Naïma Ladaoui on the real estate aspects, while partner Eric Fiszelson and associate Fabien Communier advised on the finance aspects; partner Alexandra Neri and associates Jean-Baptiste Thomas-Sertillanges and Samira Anfi advised on the IP aspects; and partner Sophie Brézin and associate Elisabeth Debrégeas advised on labour law aspects.