In its role of new majority shareholder alongside the Garaffi family, Andera Partners will accelerate Tecnikabel’s sustainable growth in Europe and North America.
Andera Partners, one of Europe’s leading private capital firms with headquarters in Paris and over €4.2 billion of asset under management, has completed its investment in a majority stake of Tecnikabel Group, the Italian leader in high value-added connectivity solutions (specialty cables, harnesses, connectors) for applications in railways, smart mobility, automation, industrial robotics, telecommunications, O&G, avionics and healthcare.
Tecnikabel, founded over 40 years ago in Volpiano (Turin) and market leader in data transmission, achieved a total turnover of over €140 million in 2023. The group – present with production facilities in Italy, Germany and China, and with sales structures in the United States, the Middle East and South-East Asia – stands out for its high level of technological know-how, its broad portfolio of customised solutions, certifications and patents, and for the high service quality it offers its customers.
Andera Partners and Equiter are investing alongside the Garaffi family, the group’s historical shareholder, who will reinvest in the transaction by maintaining a minority stake to ensure a smooth transition. The entire management team at Tecnikabel remains in charge and will take part in the transaction, while it will be further strengthened with the arrival of a Group CEO.
The objective of the investment is to accelerate Tecnikabel’s strategic growth in the European and North American markets, broadening the range of connectivity solutions and continuing to develop applications that enable the energy transition and digital transformation. This strategy will combine organic initiatives and acquisitions, to pursue an ambitious change of scale, which is the signature of the Andera MidCap team.
Andera MidCap, the mid-market private equity team of Andera Partners, has been investing for more than 20 years alongside entrepreneurs and managers of established European companies to accelerate their sustainable growth path. The team has gained experience and expertise in technology, niche industry and healthcare sectors, also thanks to a proprietary network of industry advisors.
The acquisition of Tecnikabel represents Andera MidCap team’s sixth investment in Italy and the first of the Andera MidCap 5 fund, which in September 2023 raised €750 million, well above its target of €600 million. The fund has already invested in 4 companies in France (ERI, GRI, Senstronic, Mistertemp’) and 2 in Belgium (Pauwels, Infra).
“Our goal, in partnership with Andera Partners and Equiter, is the acceleration of the Group’s growth and internationalization, building on the founder’s vision, Pier Luigi Garaffi, who will become Honorary Chairman” commented Gianluca Garaffi, director of Tecnikabel. “We are particularly pleased with this collaboration with Andera Partners and Equiter, as they share our entrepreneurial values and are perfectly positioned to help the Group to pursue its growth ambitions and better serve our clients’ needs in value-added connectivity solutions.”
“We are extremely enthusiastic about the collaboration with Tecnikabel, its management team and the Garaffi family, to achieve the targets of sustainable growth we set together, also through strategic acquisitions with a strong industrial rationale,” commented Francesco Gonzaga, in charge of Andera MidCap in Italy and Director. “This investment,” adds François-Xavier Mauron, Partner, “confirms the importance of the Italian market for Andera Partners, where we have been present for 10 years with numerous successful investments, such as Pusterla, Medical Micro Instruments, Turbocoating (now Lincotek).” “Tecnikabel is a recognised company known for its industrial excellence,” concludes Maurizio Bottinelli, Senior Advisor of Andera MidCap in Italy, “and we are convinced that it can be the fulcrum of a strategic project aimed at creating an international champion in its sector.”
“We are very satisfied about the investment in Tecnikabel, a deal that consolidates our vision as an investor focused on the Italian entrepreneurial needs and underlines our mission of being an active partner supporting the industrial growth following a path of innovation and impact”, said Carla Patrizia Ferrari, CEO of Equiter. “The synergy with the parties involved in the deal and the shared vision about the strategic growth plan were key points in the evaluation of the investment in Tecnikabel” added Igor Calcio Gaudino, Equiter Chief Investment Officer, “we are very pleased about this transaction, consistent with the objectives of Equiter’s Strategic Plan in supporting SMEs of excellence”.