Overview

Luqom Group is the #1 vertically-integrated online retailer of lighting products in Europe. It is headquartered in Germany, from where it distributes own-brand and third party products to customers all over Europe through 27 country-specific online shops.

Luqom Group differentiates itself from its competitors through an extensive range of 50,000 products, broad and differentiated product assortment, in-depth product knowledge, excellent customer service and high product availability. The company generated >€230m of sales in 2020, of which ~60% came from outside Germany. Luqom has grown strongly in the DACH region as well as internationally, through a steady roll-out across European countries in recent years.

Highlights

• Via our Business Leaders Network we appointed Jochen Wilms, a seasoned expert in both the building supply and online industries
• Supporting the business to further strengthen its position in Germany and further penetrate existing and additional international markets
• We also introduced the operational Venture Capital fund Project A Ventures as minority investor to further improve Lampenwelt’s best-in-class digital capabilities
• Acquired Netherlands-based QLF / Lampenlicht, the leading player in the Benelux region, in July 2019 as well as Lampemesteren, the leading online retailer for premium lighting products in the Nordics, in March 2021

Regulatory information 
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Germany.

Overview

MAIT Group is a leading provider of innovative and pioneering digital solutions in the DACH region.  Headquartered in Rottweil, Germany, MAIT focuses on software and hardware in product lifecycle management (“PLM”), enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) and IT services generating approx. €120m in sales per annum.

The business develops and implements solutions in close cooperation with their over 5,300 SME customers. As a strategic implementation partner, MAIT uses the most innovative technologies from market-leading PLM, ERP and IT providers such as Siemens, PTC, SAP-PLM, abas, Comarch, HP and Fujitsu.

Highlights

• Differentiates itself by looking at digitisation in a holistic way and developing tailored solutions in partnership with its customers
• High level of recurring revenues driven by multi-year maintenance and IT infrastructure contracts
• Operates in an attractive market which is expected to continue to grow considerably; medium-sized companies in particular are investing significantly in digital transformation in order to make their processes more efficient and effective
• Demand for PLM, ERP and IT is expected to grow by around 8% annually in the coming years, driven by megatrends such as IoT and Industry 4.0
• Kamy Niroumand, former Chief Sales Officer at T-Systems and current Chairman of HR management software provider P&I, will join the Advisory Board as Chairman
• Strong M&A track record and further consolidation opportunities in a fragmented market

Regulatory information 
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Germany.

Overview

Mepal is a leading Dutch lifestyle consumer brand that is known for its innovative, high-quality and sustainable products for storing, serving and take-away of food and drinks.

Headquartered in Lochem, the Netherlands, Mepal’s products are renowned for their original and premium design, functionality, convenience, quality and sustainability, resulting in market-leading levels of customer satisfaction which are sold through mass and specialty retail channels, e-commerce partners and Mepal’s own online channels.

We are partnering with the current CEO and owner of the business, Rutger de Korte, and the broader management team to continue the international expansion of the successful consumer brand. The company has grown impressively since 2018 driven by organic expansion into food retail and other large retail chains in Germany, and increased e-commerce revenue.

Highlights

• Strong track record in both innovation and design, winning numerous leading design awards
• Further growth planned in existing core markets of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany as well as developing new markets in Europe
• Planned growth of its online business, further benefitting from increased e-commerce opportunities
• Strong focus on ESG; Mepal is focused on increasing the share of recyclable materials in the production process and customers can re-order parts to extend the lifecycle of their products Additionally the products themselves help reduce food waste and the usage of single-use packaging, such as plastic bags and single use cups and bottles
• Differentiates from competition based on premium design, functionality, product quality and a history of innovations (both re-designing existing concepts and launching new product lines)

Overview

MPM is an international leader in branded, premium, natural pet food. The business owns leading pet food brands such as Applaws, Encore and Reveal and differentiates itself through its high quality, human-grade products, its natural, clean-label ingredients and its “cat first” proposition.

MPM is a certified B-Corp and its loyal customer base places great importance on its sustainable sourcing and recyclable packaging. Headquartered in Manchester, UK, MPM has an established presence in the UK, EMEA and APAC with a fast-growing business in North America resulting in international sales now accounting for more than 70% of revenues.

The market has proven resilient through economic downturns and Covid-19, with pet ownership increasing amongst a highly engaged and loyal community for whom pets are seen as family members.

Highlights

• The premium wet cat food market is large and is forecast to continue to grow at c.7% p.a.
• MPM fits well with our desire to invest in strong mid-market businesses where we see significant headroom to accelerate international expansion
• We invested £125m alongside management for a majority stake in this rapidly growing, resilient business
• Strong relationships with key retailers across pet specialist, grocery and online channels

Overview

Q Holding is a leading global manufacturer of highly-engineered, fully assembled medical devices and precision-molded elastomeric components used in a broad range of Life Sciences (medical and pharmaceutical) and Electrical Management (industrial, automotive and aerospace) applications. Headquartered in Ohio, it sells products in over 50 countries and has 13 manufacturing locations in North America, EMEA and Asia.

Q Holding has built a strong reputation as the supplier of choice to provide high-quality mission critical components for medical and harsh environment applications. It has developed longstanding relationships with a broad range of blue-chip customers who value Q’s ability to design and develop customized solutions and manufacture globally.

Highlights

• Sale of Q Holding’s QSR division, a leading developer and manufacturer of electrical connector seals, for $625m
• Acquisitions of Degania Medical (Dec. 2016), a leading global manufacturer of catheters and other medical devices and Silicone Altimex (July 2015), a silicone provider of medical device components and pharmaceutical assemblies
• Strong organic growth driven by favorable trends in medical (preference for minimally invasive therapies) and industrial / auto (content growth, connectivity, IoT) end markets
• Global manufacturing footprint aligned with customers. New facilities in Mexico, supporting investments in Europe, China and India
• Experienced management team with longstanding track record of driving innovation in product and service offering

Regulatory information 
Regulatory information: This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Corporation, a US wholly owned subsidiary of 3i Group.

Overview

Royal Sanders is a leading European private label and contract manufacturing producer in the health & beauty category. Its key geographies are the Benelux, Germany, France and the UK with plants in the Netherlands (Vlijmen and Zeewolde), the UK (Bradford) and Belgium (Ieper).

Main product categories include shampoo, bath and shower gels, body lotions, hand wash and nutritional supplements. The company sells its products through private label, contract manufacturing and own brands including Van Gils, Sanicur and Odorex.

3i is investing alongside management to drive the company’s international growth strategy.

Highlights 

• Demonstrated a consistent and strong track record of profitable organic growth over the past 10 years, significantly outgrowing the market
• Completed three add-on acquisitions since 2018
• Production footprint expanded from two to four locations in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK
• Differentiates itself through its focus on quality, innovation, sustainability and service, longstanding relationships with key customers and superior operational capabilities at its state-of-the-art facilities
• Successfully driving consolidation in a fragmented industry with 3 completed acquisitions to date and multiple further potential buy-and-build opportunities across geographies

Regulatory information 
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Benelux.

Overview

3i has established a scaled, global, pure-play platform in the bioprocessing market by bringing together SaniSure, Cellon, TBL, and Silicone Altimex (together, “SaniSure”). SaniSure is a vertically-integrated player in the single-use bioprocessing technology (“SUT“) space capable of providing highly customised and innovative solutions to leading biopharma and biotech customers. The SUT bioprocessing market is anticipated to grow at 13-20%+ across its various subsegments over the coming years, as the industry transitions to more flexible, clean, and operating cost advantaged technology relative to traditional multi-use counterparts.

Recognising an attractive market opportunity characterised by high growth and a need for a leading independent platform of scale, 3i began a journey to create a single use bioprocessing platform in January 2020 with the carve-out of Silicone Altimex from 3i portfolio company, Q Holding, along with the acquisitions of founder-owned businesses TBL and Cellon. 

Seven months later, in July 2020, the platform completed the transformative acquisition of founder-owned Sani-Tech West Inc. (Sani-Tech West and subsidiaries SaniSure® and SureTech), a leading US-based manufacturer, distributor and integrator of single-use bioprocessing systems and components. The acquisition significantly expanded the combined group’s global footprint and brought a complementary portfolio of innovative products and single-use solutions capabilities. The combined platform has robust manufacturing and cleanroom assembly operations in both North America and Europe, offering enhanced supply chain assurance to its customers with a global footprint and vertically integrated capabilities. 

Highlights

• Created a unified, vertically-integrated platform in the high-growth bioprocessing space by bringing together Cellon, TBL, and Silicone Altimex 
• Recruited key management members to complement the founders and other existing leaders, while professionalising the organisation and codifying business strategy
• Brought Sani-Tech West into the platform, doubling the size of the combined business and creating a global leader with well-established operations and reach in North America and Europe
• Positioned the platform to be a global strategic SUT solutions partner of choice for leading biopharma and biotech companies and CDMOs

Overview

ten23 health was founded in 2021 and is a development, manufacturing and testing company for biotech start-ups and the established pharmaceutical industry.

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, ten23 health’s core service offering includes formulation development, drug product development and manufacturing, as well as testing services for sterile pharmaceutical products. These high-value services are critical to helping pharma and biotech customers turn a scientific concept and therapeutic modality into a viable sterile medicine that is optimised for manufacturability, patient access and ease of administration, and logistical favourability.

ten23 health embeds fairstainability in all its practices and decisions and puts the focus on people - customers, employees, patients - and the planet. The company aims for a net zero emissions target from inception, exhibiting its patient-centricity not only in the quality of service that it delivers, but also in its sustainability focus.

Highlights

• Partnering with a highly experienced team of experts, including Prof. Dr Hanns Christian Mahler, with a proven track record in pharmaceutical product design and development
• As drug development activities across biologics modalities continue to accelerate, small biotechs and large pharma companies will increasingly outsource key services which require unique and market tested expertise
• ten23 health will deliver services in an engrained, fair and sustainable manner, respecting the future of the planet and people’s health
• Supported ten23’s acquisition of swissfillon, a leader in the sterile filling of complex pharmaceuticals into innovative containers and devices, creating a vertically integrated CDMO with ten23’s Basel development lab and swissfillon’s scaled fill & finish manufacturing

Overview

Weener Plastics (“WP”) is a leading manufacturer of innovative plastic packaging systems for fast moving consumer goods companies. WP supplies the world’s leading A-brands and private label players. WP focuses on the design, development and manufacturing of value added caps, valve closures and roll-on balls for the personal care, food and beverage, home care and healthcare market.

We invested in WP in June 2015 and are supporting management to secure further sustainable growth using the existing innovation-led platform, investing in its successful international expansion strategy and continuing its operational improvement initiatives.

Highlights

• Using our international network, experience and capital to support WP’s growth through their buy-and-build strategy to expand into adjacent product categories and new geographies. WP acquired Proenfar, a leading Colombian plastic packaging manufacturer for the personal care and pharma end markets, in 2018
• Customer portfolio includes Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolive, L’Oréal, Nestlé, P&G, Unilever and Homann
• Excellent track record of growth
• Introduced Niall Wall, former CEO of Ardagh as Chairman as well as Laurent Philippe, former president CEEMEA of P&G, and Knut Michelberger to the Supervisory Board as Non-Executive Directors via our Business Leaders Network

Regulatory information 
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Germany.

Overview

Wilson Human Capital Group (“WilsonHCG”) is an award-winning global leader in talent solutions. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, WilsonHCG is a global business with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia and has operated as a strategic partner to some of the world’s most admired brands in helping them plan and execute on talent acquisition globally. The Company provides a full suite of configurable talent solutions including recruitment process outsourcing (“RPO”), executive search, contingent talent solutions and talent consulting.

WilsonHCG is widely known for its high-performance culture including its core values of collaboration, ownership, integrity, passion and communication. As a result, the Company is recognised as a leader by various industry trade associations such as HRO Today, Everest Group, NelsonHall and SIA and has also won a Gold Stevie Award and the Best Onsite RPO award in recent years.

Highlights

• Double-digit historic annual growth within its RPO sector, WilsonHCG’s core area of focus
• The RPO market is expected to benefit following the Covid-19 pandemic as companies increasingly value the superior outcomes, flexibility and efficiency that RPO providers such as WilsonHCG provide their clients
• WilsonHCG is a strong fit within 3i’s investment strategy, with a focus on high quality outsourced services, an increasingly international business, especially across Europe and Asia, and a strong management team

Overview

Yanga is the leading provider of an integrated in-house sports drinks concept to fitness chains.  Headquartered in the Netherlands, Yanga sells flavoured sports drinks through its installed base of proprietary hydration stations in gyms across Europe. Gym members who have an add-on or premium membership can use the stations to get flavoured water with sugar and colorant-free syrups during their workouts.

3i is investing to support its international growth and expansion into North America.

Highlights

• Unique offering at scale with an installed base of >2,000 hydration stations
• Strongly differentiated business model, delivering a win-win proposition to fitness operators and gym members
• Exposed to key trends in the fitness market, including value-for-money and increased industry consolidation