Livingstone realizes major investment for Oskar Nolte
The Industrial sector team of Livingstone Düsseldorf successfully advised the shareholders of Oskar Nolte GmbH on the evolution of their company through a significant investment by European private equity fund Ambienta SGR.
Oskar Nolte is a hidden champion in the production of environmental friendly high performance coating and lacquer systems for industrial applications primarily in the furniture industry with an annual output of around 22,000 tons. For more than two decades, Oskar Nolte has been at the forefront of developing waterbased and solvent free coating systems that contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment on the one hand and add value in terms of cost-effectiveness as well as eco-friendliness for customers on the other hand.
“With Ambienta we have found a partner and co-shareholder who shares our view on the growth prospects of the business and is keen to support the company with financial and managerial resources as well as its strong international industrial expertise. Together we will extend the market position of Oskar Nolte by organic growth as well as through suitable add-on acquisitions,” commented Guido Pühse, CEO and co-owner of Oskar Nolte. “We are thankful for the tremendous effort and unparalleled commitment that Livingstone showed in driving this successful transaction. It was extremely helpful for us to be closely guided during the entire process by the Livingstone team who helped us to avoid the many potential pitfalls which a transformational transaction between a typical German middle-market company and a European financial investor offers.”
Ambienta SGR is a leading European private equity fund operating out of Milan, Munich and London, focused on industrial growth investing in companies driven by environmental trends with funds under management of over €500 million.
Oskar Nolte has continued to build on its competencies over decades and today is a perfect example of a hidden champion clearly focused on superior product quality, strong customer orientation and international reach. We look forward to working closely with the Oskar Nolte and supporting its management team in their strategy to continue growth organically and potentially through acquisitions,” added Nico Helling, newly appointed Partner of Ambienta, responsible for investments in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “Livingstone did a really good job driving this transaction to a successful closing.”
With its significant investment of more than 20 million Euro, Ambienta has will support Oskar Nolte in the next stage of international growth and product diversification. Furthermore, this represents the first investment of Ambienta in Germany. With its new partner, Ambienta, Oskar Nolte seeks to accelerate growth by applying its coating technologies to adjacent markets such as finish foils and in emerging markets where the share of solvent-based coatings is still fairly high. Additional acquisitions are also under consideration. Oskar Nolte plans to expand their employee base to further support future growth.
“It was our pleasure to closely support the shareholders of Oskar Nolte in the important process of a structured succession plan. We strongly believe that a successful German middle-market transaction like this not only hinges on the identification of the right partner, but also on the ongoing moderation and management of expectations and points of view between all parties involved. This is where a trusted and experienced advisor can make the difference,” said Christian Grandin, Managing Partner of Livingstone Düsseldorf and Johannes Faber, executive Associate Director in this transaction.
The successful closing of the Oskar Nolte transaction marks the 8th successful closing by the Livingstone industrial sector team within the last 12 months.
