Gleiss Lutz has advised the British technology company Spectris plc on the acquisition of VI-grade Group. Closing of the transaction is still subject to customary regulatory clearances and is expected to take place at the end of August 2018. The parties have agreed not to disclose any details of the transaction.
Spectris plc is a leading supplier of products, technologies and services that help companies enhance their productivity, improve product quality and optimise processes up to market launch. Spectris assists customers from different sectors worldwide and operates across four business segments: Materials Analysis, Test and Measurement, In-line Instrumentation and Industrial Controls. Headquartered in Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom, the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and employs approximately 9,800 people located in more than 30 countries.
VI-grade specialises in the production of automatic controls and test systems as well as the development of turn-key solutions for static and dynamic driving simulation. The company, which maintains offices in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, China and the U.S., delivers innovative solutions to streamline development processes, primarily in the automotive, aerospace, motorcycle, motorsports and railway industries.
As lead counsel, Gleiss Lutz coordinated the transaction in all jurisdictions involved – in addition to Germany also the United Kingdom (Shoosmiths LLP), Italy (Gianni, Origoni, Grippo, Cappelli & Partners), Japan (Kitahama Partners), Switzerland (Homburger) and the U.S. (Sidley Austin LLP).
The following team of Gleiss Lutz lawyers, led by Dr Patrick Kaffiné (partner, corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), advised Spectris in connection with the transaction: Dr Stefan Mayer (partner, tax, Frankfurt), Dr Jacob von Andreae (partner, public law, Dusseldorf), Dr Michael Ilter, Julia Müller, Dr Konstantin von Dryander, (all corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Dr Matthias Werner, (counsel, IP/IT, Munich), Dr Ocka Stumm, Christian Heinrichs (both tax, Frankfurt), Dr Tobias Abend (employment, Frankfurt), Dr Birgit Colbus (counsel), Dr Saskia Kirchgeßner (both competition/antitrust, Frankfurt).
At Spectris, the transaction was handled by in-house counsel Dr Alexander Dähnert (M&A Counsel, London/Darmstadt) and Silke Lengnick (Manager Group Taxes, Darmstadt).
Gleiss Lutz regularly advises Spectris on transactions in Germany, recently assisting the firm with the acquisition of DISCOM Elektronische Systeme und Komponenten GmbH.
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