ETTEPLAN OYJ: ACQUISITION OF THE ENTIRE SHARE CAPITAL OF GESAB AB COMPLETED
ACQUISITION OF THE ENTIRE SHARE CAPITAL OF GESAB AB COMPLETED
According to the agreement, signed on July 4, 2007, Etteplan Oyj has today
acquired the entire share capital of Swedish Gesab AB.
Gesab, established in 1985, and its' subsidiaries is one of the leading
providers of industrial consultancy services, primarily within product
development and industrial engineering mainly for the automotive, aerospace and
household industries. The Gesab Group has offices in Gothenburg, Kalmar,
Linköping, Trollhättan, Eskilstuna, Stockholm and Budapest, Hungary. Presently
the number of employees amounts to 240 people.
In 2006 Gesab's consolidated revenue amounted to SEK 163.5 million and the
consolidated operating profit to SEK 10.5 million. Gesab's total assets at 31
December 2006 stood at SEK 53.3 million. During the past years Gesab's business
operations have grown significantly with increasing profits as a result. The
company is expected to grow and the profitability is expected to remain on good
level also during 2007.
Etteplan has bought 100% of the shares and of the voting rights from the owners
of the company. The purchase price of SEK 70 million has been paid today in
cash. The definitive purchase price will depend on Gesab's financial performance
during 2007.
As of September 1, 2007 Gesab AB became a part of Etteplan Group. Gesab is
planned to continue as its own entity and to develop its business according to
jointly developed strategies and direction.
According to Mr. Heikki Hornborg, the CEO of Etteplan the acquisition supports
company's growth strategy in the Scandinavia. It further strengthens the group's
competence and market position especially as a supplier in the automotive and
aerospace industries in the Nordic Countries. Gesab's operations significantly
support the service to Etteplan's existing key customers and as a consequence of
the acquisition Etteplan can provide its customers significantly widened service
offering. In addition the transaction further strengthens the realization of
synergies between Etteplan's Swedish companies. The number of Etteplan Group's
personnel in Sweden increases as a consequence of the transaction to nearly 900
persons.
For Gesab AB becoming a part of a larger design sector group provide better
possibilities to carry out comprehensive design projects, to develop and widen
the operations and to expand the client base. As a consequence of the
transaction the company's position in the market will strengthen.
Etteplan is one of the largest companies in the Nordic Countries providing
industrial technology design and expert services. The company supplies
high-quality services for its customers for production and product development
processes. The core areas of expertise are mechanical engineering, automation
design and information design as well as software development and electronics
design. In 2006, revenue of Etteplan Group was EUR 101.7 million. The Etteplan
Group employs close to 2 000 persons in Finland, Sweden, Germany, Italy, China
and Hungary.
Hollola, 3 September, 2007
Etteplan Oyj
Board of Directors
For additional information, contact:
Etteplan Oyj, CEO Heikki Hornborg, tel. +358 400 873 063
DISTRIBUTION: OMX Nordic Exchange in Helsinki
Principal media
www.etteplan.com