Boizenburg/Essen/Wetzlar — Graftec GmbH from Boizenburg in Mecklenburg, an internationally successful toolmaking company for customers in the ceramics industry, will become part of the Vamea Group. The group of companies from North Rhine-Westphalia focuses on medium-sized companies in toolmaking, parts production and related areas and sees itself as a solution provider for industrial growth sectors. The now completed acquisition of Graftec marks an important acquisition for the Vamea Group, which was founded at the end of 2021. Graftec was advised exclusively by the Wetzlar-based M&A consultancy Nachfolgekontor in association with sonntag corporate finance on the age-related succession plan.
Founded in 2005, the special toolmaker Graftec produces customized pressing tools of the highest quality made of steel and their replacement components such as punches and wear strips, especially for customers in the tile industry. Thanks to state-of-the-art machines ranging from CNC grinding machines to HSC milling machines, even high-alloy tool steels can be processed quickly and to the highest quality standards. The broadly diversified product portfolio also includes regeneration for all products, an in-house planning department with qualified engineers and technicians, and modern equipment for automating production. The customers are mainly from Germany and other European countries such as France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Poland. The two managing owners, Jörn Graf and Michael Harder, had decided to sell the company for reasons of age. Mr. Graf and Mr. Harder will be joined on the Management Board by Mathias Welteroth, Member of the Management Board and Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Vamea Group.
Vamea AG was founded by German entrepreneur and investor Martin Kiene, among others, earlier this year. The Group’s primary objective is to enable family-run moldmaking businesses such as Graftec to succeed. At the same time, the companies are expected to benefit from significantly improved conditions and advantages for customers and employees as a result of the merger. The aim is to gradually establish a leading group of companies in the market for the production of tools, parts and components.
“We warmly welcome Graftec and all of its employees to our company,” said Vamea founder Kiene. “With its portfolio of services and, above all, its employees, we have found the ideal partner for our group of companies in Graftec. We are looking forward to the journey together.” The acquisition comprises all shares.
“After all these years, we as owners, but of course also for our customers and the Graftec team, think it is great to have found a new owner in Vamea to continue our work,” Graftec founder Graf and his business partner Harder comment on the handover of their company.
Niklas Poppelreuter, project manager at Nachfolgekontor, adds: “The sale of one’s own company is always a complex process in which there are an enormous number of aspects to consider and weigh up. The sale and integration into the Vamea Group not only allows Graftec to solve the succession problem with a single step, but also to improve its starting position for a successful future in a growing group. We wish all parties involved all the best for the future.”
About Nachfolgekontor and sonntag corporate finance
Nachfolgekontor GmbH, in association with sonntag corporate finance GmbH, is one of the leading M&A consulting firms in the German SME sector. The team of almost 30 experts accompanies medium-sized entrepreneurs exclusively through the entire sales process. “Our task is to safeguard life’s work,” is how we see ourselves. In doing so, customers benefit from a unique approach that has won multiple awards from the business press, and which protects the identity of their companies to a special degree. Thanks to their excellent access to medium-sized companies, Nachfolgekontor and sonntag corporate finance have also established themselves as a strong partner at the side of renowned national and international major companies and investors in acquisitions. www.nachfolgekontor.de, www.sonntagcf.com
About Graftec GmbH
www.graf-tec.de/
About Vamea Group
www.vamea.group