Harris Williams & Co. Ltd Advises the Shareholders of AWEBA Werkzeugbau GmbH on its Sale to Schuler AG
Harris Williams & Co. Ltd, a preeminent middle market investment bank focused on the advisory needs of clients worldwide, has exclusively advised the shareholders of AWEBA Werkzeugbau GmbH, (AWEBA), private and institutional investors, on the sale of AWEBA to Schuler AG, (Schuler; BAYB:SCUN). Schuler’s global presence as a market-leading supplier of forming technology enables AWEBA to realize substantial global growth opportunities. With the acquisition, Schuler is expanding its tool manufacturing capabilities for forming tools and strengthening its existing in-house tooling capabilities. The transaction was led by Jeffery Perkins, Lars Friemann and Florian Ripperger of Harris Williams & Co.’s Frankfurt office.
Dr. Frank Müller-Dahl, chairman of advisory board of the AWEBA Group and shareholder, said, “We are pleased to have found a renowned, strategic partner in Schuler that will expand the company’s international presence, accelerate its path to become a global system supplier and secure the workplaces in the region.”
AWEBA is known as one of the most important international full-range suppliers for tools and fixtures. The competence spectrum comprises the design, engineering, manufacturing and servicing of a broad range of dies and fixtures. AWEBA has market-leading positions in forming and cutting technologies, as well as die-casting and special applications such as fine blanking and hydroforming. AWEBA tools are used for the production of highly innovative and critical parts for automotive powertrain and lightweight solutions as well as in the electrical and mechanical engineering industries. The company is a renowned development partner and has international leading OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers as its customers, which are served from three locations in Germany and the U.S. In fiscal year 2015, AWEBA generated revenues of around € 60 million with about 600 employees.
Schuler is the market leader in forming presses, automation solutions, tools, process technology and adjacent services for metal-working industries and lightweight solutions for the automotive industry. Customers include automotive OEMs and suppliers as well as forging, household appliance, packaging, energy and electric industries. Schuler is also the world leader in the field of coin minting technology and realizes system solutions for the aerospace, railway and large scale industries. Globally, Schuler employs about 5,200 people. The group has a presence in more than 40 countries and its main shareholder is Austrian ANDRITZ-Group.
Harris Williams & Co. (www.harriswilliams.com), a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC), is a preeminent middle market investment bank focused on the advisory needs of clients worldwide. The firm has deep industry knowledge, global transaction expertise and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Harris Williams & Co. provides sell-side and acquisition advisory, restructuring advisory, board advisory, private placements and capital markets advisory services.
Investment banking services are provided by Harris Williams LLC, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC, and Harris Williams & Co. Ltd, which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC and Harris Williams & Co. Ltd conduct business.