The private owners of Spitznas and Transtools signed an agreement to divest their entire shareholding in the two companies to an investment vehicle managed by ARCUS Capital AG.

Spitznas Maschinenfabrik GmbH, located in Velbert, Germany, is a developer, manufacturer and distributor of pneumatic and hydraulic power tools, hydraulic spare parts for pumps and motors, and  hydrostatic compact drives used in various industrial environments, such as plant & machinery construction, mining, and metal & steel construction as well as underwater works.

Transtools Sp. z.o.o., located in Lublin, Poland, is a wholesaler of hand-operated tools and handles Spitznas’ mechanical production as well acting as its exclusive distributor for Poland.

ARCUS Capital AG (“ARCUS”), located in Munich, Germany, was founded in 1994 as a private equity firm focusing on small and mid-cap investments in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. ARCUS invests in situations such as succession planning arrangements as well as traditional buyouts. ARCUS has a proven track record of successfully supporting its portfolio companies and growing their businesses.

The transaction completes the succession plan of two individual owners who decided to bring the groups under the stewardship of an institutional owner with a proven track record in growing businesses abroad.

Clairfield International Germany acted as exclusive financial advisor to the owners.

 Dr. Albert Schander, co-founder and managing partner of Clairfield, commented: “This transaction marks another milestone for our mid-cap M&A team this year and the ‘Clairfield approach’ proves itself successful once again: intensive pre-qualifying of investors, very limited bidding contest with hand-selected partners, and final decision for the best-fitting suitor in close cooperation with management.”

Brigitte Theil, managing director of Spitznas, said: “Thanks to Clairfield’s pre-selection, every investor matched from a DNA perspective. From the beginning I was impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit of the individuals behind ARCUS, as they are committed to bringing the two combined entities to the next level. ARCUS shared our views about how to further grow the business and is fully supportive in investing in both infrastructure and international marketing and sales. Customized product offering, service to our clients, and high quality are paramount to us.“

Stefan Eishold, managing director of ARCUS added: “Spitznas and Transtools fit ideally into our investment strategy providing successful businesses with additional management skills, perspective, and growth capital. We are looking forward to the implementation of our strategic objectives by working closely with Brigitte and her team.”