Baker McKenzie advised Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG) and DBAG Fund VII managed by DBAG on the acquisition in duagon, a Dietikon, Switzerland-based provider of network components for data communication in railway vehicles. The transaction is expected to close in July, 2017. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
In a first step, the DBAG-managed DBAG Fund VII will acquire all of the shares in duagon in a management buyout. In a second step, duagon’s management will co-invest. DBAG will spend up to 14 million euros from its balance sheet for its co-investment and will hold an interest of up to 22 percent in duagon.
Baker McKenzie advised DBAG on all legal aspects of the structuring of the transaction, the acquisition of shares and the future participation of the management. Baker McKenzie already advised DBAG on its investment in R&M Group and on its investment in Swiss mageba AG.
"We are delighted to accompany DBAG yet again in a transaction focusing on Switzerland. Once more, the collaboration with the Swiss colleagues in our integrated team was indispensable for the successful processing of the various complex work streams in the tight timeframe", comments Dr. Ingo Strauss, Corporate Partner at Baker McKenzie.
Duagon (www.duagon.com) was founded in 1995 and is now a leading independent provider of network components for data communication in railway vehicles. The company’s products enable communication between individual sub-systems such as doors, brakes, air-conditioning units and the central processor via the so-called TCN (Train Communication Network).
Stock exchange-listed Deutsche Beteiligungs AG invests in well-positioned, mid-sized companies with growth potential in selected sectors. With their experience, expertise and equity, DBAG supports their portfolio companies in implementing sustainable value-creating corporate strategies. The entrepreneurial approach to investing has made DBAG a sought-after investment partner in the German-speaking region.
Baker McKenzie regularly advises clients on cross-border transactions and reorganizations. Most recently the team advised SPIE on its acquisition of LÜCK Group, Grünenthal on its acquisition of Adhesys Medical, Flowserve Corporation on the sale of Gestra-Gruppe, ZF Friedrichshafen AG on the sale of Cherry Group, the owners of Fragrance Resources on the sale of its fragrance business to International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., GFKL on the acquisition of Tesch Group, CORESTATE on its acquisition of Hannover Leasing, Heraeus Group on the sale of the global high-performance target materials business to the US-based Materion Group, MAGNA International on its acquisition of the Böddecker & Co. GmbH & Co. KG, Dassault Systèmes on the acquisition of the CST group, Sulzer on the takeover of the GEKA group from 3i, Deutsche Beteiligungs AG on its participation in Reinhold & Mahla-Group, RWE and E.ON on the sale of their shares in the Luxembourg energy supplier Enovos, HITACHI Koki on the acquisition of Metabo AG and Barry-Wehmiller group on the acquisition of the operations of Winkler+Dünnebier GmbH.
Lead advisors to DBAG:
Lead:
Corporate/M&A: Dr. Alexander Fischer (partner, Zurich), Dr. Ingo Strauss (partner, Dusseldorf)
Team:
Corporate/M&A: Petra Hanselmann (senior associate, Zurich), Dr. Matthias Trautmann (associate, Zurich), Roger Bischof (associate, Zürich), Lena von Richthofen (associate, Dusseldorf), Jana Upschulte (associate, Dusseldorf)
Banking & Finance: Dr. Philip Spoerle (associate, Zurich), Dr. Markus Wolf (associate, Zurich), Silke Fritz (associate, Frankfurt),
IP: Dr. Michael Fammler (partner, Frankfurt), Philip Schmitz (associate, Munich), Sylvia Polydor (associate, Zürich)
IT: Dr. Holger Lutz (partner, Frankfurt), Dr. Tobias Born (associate, Frankfurt)
Tax: Dr. Tobias Rohner (partner, Zurich), Andrea B. Bolliger (senior associate, Zurich), Susanne Liebel-Kotz (associate, Zurich)
Employment: Dr. Peter Reinert (partner, Zurich)
Commercial: Dr. Anne-Catherine Hahn (partner, Zurich), Jonas Walker (associate, Zurich)
Antitrust: Dr. Philippe Monnier (associate, Zurich)
Real Estate: Alexander Seiler (associate, Zurich)
Further Baker McKenzie offices: Shanghai, Hongkong, Barcelona
