Munich — ERS elec­tro­nic GmbH, one of the world’s leading suppli­ers of ther­mal manage­ment solu­ti­ons for semi­con­duc­tor manu­fac­tu­ring, and Gimv, a listed Euro­pean private equity inves­tor, are joining forces to further drive ERS’ growth. The two ERS mana­ging direc­tors, Klemens Reit­in­ger and Laurent Giai-Miniet, will remain invol­ved in the company and retain their current posi­ti­ons. Finan­cial details will not be disclosed.

ERS elec­tro­nic GmbH, based in Germe­ring near Munich, has more than 50 years of expe­ri­ence in the deve­lo­p­ment of inno­va­tive ther­mal manage­ment solu­ti­ons. These enable the semi­con­duc­tor indus­try to perform relia­ble ther­mal tests during micro­chip produc­tion. The company has earned a special repu­ta­tion for its fast and precise chuck systems. These can be used to perform air-cooling-based analy­ti­cal, para­­me­­ter-rela­­ted and produc­­tion-speci­­fic measu­re­ments in a test tempe­ra­ture range from ‑65 °C to +550 °C.

Since 2008, ERS elec­tro­nic has also been active in the field of advan­ced pack­a­ging with fully auto­ma­tic and manual debon­ding and warpage adjus­t­ment systems. They are now used by most semi­con­duc­tor manu­fac­tu­r­ers and OSATs (Outsour­ced Semi­con­duc­tor Assem­bly and Test Compa­nies) world­wide. The company has recei­ved wide­spread indus­try reco­gni­tion for its ability to measure and correct complex wafer defor­ma­ti­ons (also called “warpage”) that occur in the fan-out wafer-level pack­a­ging manu­fac­tu­ring process.

Gimv has exten­sive expe­ri­ence in helping Euro­pean compa­nies imple­ment ambi­tious growth plans with the aim of crea­ting sustainable value for busi­ness and society. Gimv Smart Indus­tries focu­ses on leading growth compa­nies that are at the inter­sec­tion of the digi­tal and indus­trial worlds, combi­ning both areas of exper­tise to offer holi­stic solu­ti­ons — as is the case with ERS elec­tro­nic. Gimv and ERS are only joining forces to further expand ERS’ leading market posi­tion and to serve the conti­nuously incre­asing demand.

Laurent Giai-Miniet, CEO of ERS elec­tro­nic comm­ents: “Ther­mal manage­ment in semi­con­duc­tor manu­fac­tu­ring is beco­ming incre­asingly important. We are ther­e­fore in a good posi­tion to bene­fit from the rapid deve­lo­p­ment of the indus­try and conti­nue to offer our custo­mers special added value. Our decis­ion to work with Gimv is based on our shared commit­ment to excel­lence and our passion for inno­va­tion and tech­no­logy. We look forward to opening a new chap­ter in ERS’ history with Gimv and reali­zing our shared vision.”

Klemens Reit­in­ger, CTO of ERS elec­tro­nic, added: “We are convin­ced that Gimv’s proven exper­tise will help us take a big step forward in further deve­lo­ping simi­lar busi­nesses, espe­ci­ally in terms of scaling opera­ti­ons and acce­le­ra­ting inno­va­tion. This part­ner­ship will provide us with the resour­ces and flexi­bi­lity to further advance product rese­arch and deve­lo­p­ment and conti­nue to lead the way in our industry.”

Ronald Bartel, Part­ner at Gimv Smart Indus­tries and Head of Gimv Germany, adds: “ERS’s inno­va­tive capa­bi­lity and special custo­­mer-orien­­ted approach make the company an ideal addi­tion to our Smart Indus­tries plat­form. It is precis­ely such ambi­tious, inno­­va­­tion-driven compa­nies that we support in their further deve­lo­p­ment. Our invest­ment in ERS repres­ents the company’s poten­tial and we look forward to working with the team to execute its growth strategy.”

Advi­sor to share­hol­ders of ERS elec­tro­nic GmbH: Rödl & Partner
Lead manage­ment Dr. Oliver Schmitt and Thomas Fräbel. The team had alre­ady advi­sed on a previous invest­ment review procee­ding for ERS elec­tro­nic GmbH and its share­hol­ders through Asso­ciate Part­ner Clau­dia Geercken.
Tax advice was provi­ded by part­ner Dr. Susanne Kölbl and mana­ger Dr. Bene­dikt Keilen.

About ERS elec­tro­nic GmbH

ERS elec­tro­nic GmbH, based in Germe­ring near Munich, has more than 50 years of expe­ri­ence in the deve­lo­p­ment of inno­va­tive ther­mal manage­ment solu­ti­ons. They enable the semi­con­duc­tor indus­try to perform relia­ble ther­mal tests during micro­chip produc­tion. The company has earned a special repu­ta­tion for its fast and precise chuck systems. They can be used to perform air-cooling-based analy­ti­cal, para­­me­­ter-rela­­ted and produc­­tion-speci­­fic measu­re­ments in a test tempe­ra­ture range from ‑65 °C to +550 °C. Since 2008, ERS elec­tro­nic has also been active in the field of advan­ced pack­a­ging with fully auto­ma­tic and manual debon­ding and warpage adjus­t­ment systems. They are now used by most semi­con­duc­tor manu­fac­tu­r­ers and OSATs (Outsour­ced Semi­con­duc­tor Assem­bly and Test Compa­nies) world­wide. The company has recei­ved wide­spread indus­try reco­gni­tion for its ability to measure and correct complex wafer defor­ma­ti­ons (also called “warpage”) that occur in the fan-out wafer-level pack­a­ging manu­fac­tu­ring process.

About Gimv

Gimv, a Belgian private equity inves­tor listed on Euron­ext 100, has exten­sive expe­ri­ence in guiding Euro­pean compa­nies to imple­ment ambi­tious growth plans with the aim of crea­ting sustainable value for busi­ness and society. Gimv Smart Indus­tries focu­ses on leading growth compa­nies that are at the inter­sec­tion of the digi­tal and indus­trial worlds, combi­ning both areas of exper­tise to provide holi­stic solutions.