Strategic partnership of Extra Computer GmbH with Thomas-Krenn.AG
WALTER FRIES Corporate Finance GmbH exclusively advised the shareholders of EXTRA Computer GmbH (“EXTRA”) on the strategic partnership with Thomas-Krenn.AG (“Thomas-Krenn“), a portfolio company of VM Capital GmbH.
The strategic partnership of the two companies will create one of the largest independent server and storage manufacturers in Germany with group revenues of over 120 million euros and about 400 employees.
The two partners believe that this alliance offers great synergy potential, particularly in the mutual transfer of specialist know-how and growth in the product and solution portfolio. In addition, the merger is intended to further accelerate the already successful expansion of the partner and cloud business, and by investing in the four joint brands – exone, Pokini, Calmo and Thomas-Krenn – the aim is to expand the customer base and thus secure and increase market share.
The companies, brands and locations will remain autonomous and will continue to operate independently on the market. Both workforces and locations shall be further expanded, and the products will continue to be manufactured in Germany. The first-class service and support for customers will be maintained in full.
"The past three business years have been the most successful in the history of both companies. The merger of Thomas-Krenn and EXTRA will take both companies to the next level. This creates a strong manufacturer operating throughout Europe. The partnership represents the optimal succession plan for us and is in the best interest of customers and employees. This is because it secures jobs at both locations in the long term and strengthens competencies here as well as there."
Legal support for this transaction was provided by Norton Rose Fulbright (Dr. Philipp Grzimek in charge) and on the tax side by Heitz Stäudle (Hans-Jürgen Stäudle in charge).
About EXTRA Computer GmbH (www.exone.de)
EXTRA Computer GmbH is a medium-sized IT manufacturer with products such as PCs, notebooks, servers, industrial PCs, rugged tablets, touch computers, panel PCs, cloud services and much more. The products are sold to qualified resellers and system houses under the brands exone, Pokini and Calmo. Many systems are individually configured and built to customer specifications. The owner-led enterprise with seat in Giengen at the Brenz was created 1989 and counts over 180 employees.
About Thomas-Krenn.AG (www.thomas-krenn.com)
Thomas-Krenn.AG is a leading, fast-growing manufacturer of individual server and storage systems. Since 2002, the company has been supplying end users, resellers, and data center operators with high-quality hardware according to the build-to-order principle. Also, as a solution provider for individual customer projects, Thomas-Krenn.AG stands for the highest service quality in hardware-related development, contract manufacturing, product finishing and logistics. Thus, it is a recognized reliable partner for industry, system houses, service providers as well as medium-size end customers from each industry. The Thomas-Krenn.AG produces with currently about 200 employees all servers in Germany at the location Freyung.
About WALTER FRIES Corporate Finance GmbH (www.walterfries.de)
WALTER FRIES Corporate Finance is an independent M&A advisory firm focusing on corporate transactions and buy-outs in the mid-market. The experienced team has been well-connected with national and international investors for many years and has excellent expertise with various industry focuses and excellent references.
