FGvW Advises Group of Investors on Acquisition of GEZ Rail Solutions GmbH from Schaltbau Holding

A group of German investors consisting of Nord West Management GmbH and Niederrheinische Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH has acquired GEZ Rail Solutions GmbH (GEZ) from Schaltbau Holding AG. GEZ's managing directors Thomas Richter and Peter Bunzeck are participating as minority shareholders in the transaction, which is expected to be completed before the end of this year. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

GEZ (Gesellschaft für elektrische Zugausrüstung) Rail Solutions GmbH, based in Dinslaken, Germany, is one of the leading German companies for the refurbishment of trains. It offers both complete modernisations of rail vehicles and the detailed modernisation of trains or train sections.

Schaltbau Holding AG, headquartered in Munich, is a leading international supplier of direct current components (DC technology) for transport technology. The components are used in the railway industry for signaling, protection and power distribution, but are also increasingly used for the protection and energy management of battery-supported industrial applications, especially in the field of e-mobility automotive – from energy storage in the generation of electricity from renewable energies to e-cars and electric charging columns. Schaltbau also supplies complete driver's consoles for the railway industry and components for driver's cabs. The transportation technology company operates 27 sales and manufacturing facilities in 14 countries and generates annual sales of approximately 525 million Euros with around 3,000 employees.

The buyer group was legally advised by our team specializing in M&A and private equity transactions, led by our Cologne partner Arnt Göppert (corporate law, M&A, private equity). He was supported by our Cologne partners Christina Schröter (corporate law, M&A, private equity), David Kipping (IP/IT), Andreas Imping (labor and employment law), Mike Weitzel (insurance law) and Tobias Lenz (insurance law) as well as associates Linda Bauerschmitz (corporate law, M&A) and Christian Claeßens (labor and employment law). From Berlin, our partner Oliver Ehrmann and associates Florian Keller and Yusuf Yildrim (all tax law) were involved. From Freiburg, our partner Stefan Lammel (insolvency law) advised.