Simmons has advised global industrial service provider Ferrostaal on a wide-reaching reorganisation project, involving the conversion of Ferrostaal GmbH into a management holding company by spinning off various operating segments and administrative divisions.

In future, six sub-groups (business units) will act as autonomously on the market under the umbrella of holding company Ferrostaal GmbH. Economic responsibility lies with the individual sub-groups. As a result, the Ferrostaal Group has been repositioned with more transparent structures, clear lines of responsibility and a focus on the different markets.

The reorganisation was essentially performed by means of a range of spin-offs pursuant to the German Reorganisation Act and other accompanying measures. Simmons & Simmons advised the Ferrostaal Group both on the design of the structure and its implementation.

The Simmons & Simmons team advising Ferrostaal was led by Düsseldorf Corporate partner Dr Michael Bormann and senior associate Marc Urlichs, who have advised Ferrstaal on various corporate/M&A projects for a number of years. Marc Urlichs was responsible for the project management side, which also included representing the sub-project “Law” on Ferrostaal’s project committees. They were assisted by Employment partners Dr Hans-Hermann Aldenhoff and Verena Braeckeler-Kogel, Employment associate Dr Daniel Schultheis, Corporate associate Dr Oliver Trautmann and Real Estate counsel Dr Barbara Heinrich.