Livingstone advises global technology group Kurtz Ersa on the acquisition of SCHILLER Automation

Livingstone advised Kurtz Holding GmbH & Co. Beteiligungs KG (“Kurtz Ersa”) on the acquisition of SCHILLER AUTOMATION GmbH & Co. KG (“SCHILLER”) exclusively as M&A Advisor. The acquisition of SCHILLER Automation further expands Kurtz Ersa’s range of automation solutions and thus strengthens its market presence in the field of automation.

Kurtz Ersa is one of the leading and most traditional high-tech mechanical engineering groups worldwide generating approx. EUR 275 million with more than 1,250 employees in 2021. In the course of its strategic repositioning, the Group is today divided into three business segments: “Electronics Production Equipment”, “Moulding Machines” and the “Automation” segment. Kurtz Ersa Automation specializes in integrated turnkey solutions, robust modular construction in the series business and innovative system integration, and acts as the central point of contact for automation expertise within the Kurtz Ersa Group.

SCHILLER was founded in 1978 and has developed into one of the leading suppliers of integrated automation, process and system solutions. The company focuses on assembly lines for the automotive- and medtech industry and offers a comprehensive range of services including engineering, manufacturing, assembly and commissioning of automation solutions – complemented by after-sales and customer support services. The headquarters of the owner-managed family company with currently 160 employees is Sonnenbühl in the Neckar-Alb industrial region.

“The integration into the Kurtz Ersa Group with its worldwide sales and service network, combined with a long-term growth strategy, opens up completely new growth opportunities and development possibilities for SCHILLER in the Kurtz Ersa business segment “Automation” – while simultaneously securing jobs for all employees at the Sonnenbühl site.” said Stefan Schiller, Managing Director of Schiller Automation.

“Thanks to SCHILLER’s excellent market position, existing know-how and many years of industrial experience, we are thus significantly developing our “Automation” business segment,” said Kurtz Ersa CEO Rainer Kurtz.

Dr Michael Wenzel, head of the Automation business segment at Kurtz Ersa, said, “The acquisition of the automation expert SCHILLER enables us to further expand our portfolio of automation solutions and will continue to offer our customers the highest level of functionality, quality and on-time delivery.”

Dr André Schröer, Partner at Livingstone Düsseldorf, commented, “Following two successful Kurtz Ersa transactions in 2018 and 2020 as part of the Group’s strategic realignment, we are now pleased to have advised the shareholders and management on the buy side of this transaction. The acquisition of SCHILLER will sustainably strengthen the “Automation” business segment and lead to further growth. We would like to thank all parties involved for the once again excellent cooperation.”

Erlanger Treuhand GmbH, Erlangen acted as the legal advisor to the buyer, represented by the team of Mr. Ulrich Bail and Dr. Bernd Marschall.