Wetzlar/Jena/Ditzingen — The TRUMPF Group, one of the world’s leading high-tech compa­nies for machine tools, lasers and elec­tro­nics for indus­trial appli­ca­ti­ons, has acqui­red an 80 percent stake in Active Fiber Systems GmbH (AFS), a fiber laser specia­list based in Jena, Germany. AFS was advi­sed by sonn­tag corpo­rate finance GmbH, one of the leading M&A consul­tancies in the German SME sector. Fabian Schmidt and his team of experts for tran­sac­tions in the high-tech sector were respon­si­ble for the project.

AFS, based in Jena, Thurin­gia, deve­lops and manu­fac­tures ultras­hort pulse fiber laser systems, which are mainly used in science and rese­arch. The company, which today has 37 employees, was foun­ded in 2009 as a spin-off of the Fraun­ho­fer IOF Jena and the Insti­tute of Applied Physics at Fried­rich Schil­ler Univer­sity Jena. In addi­tion to basic rese­arch, appli­ca­ti­ons include the gene­ra­tion of extre­mely short-wave­­length light with high cohe­rence, bio-medi­­cal imaging, and mate­ri­als proces­sing. “AFS works very close to rese­arch and deve­lops laser systems at the highest level,” Schmidt said. “TRUMPF is the ideal buyer here, preser­ving AFS’ strengths in its excel­lent envi­ron­ment and jointly streng­thening its posi­ti­ons in scien­ti­fic, indus­trial and medi­cal lasers.”

Through the majo­rity share­hol­ding, TRUMPF will in the future prima­rily focus on crea­ting synergy effects in rese­arch as well as further deve­lo­ping its own ultras­hort pulse laser port­fo­lio. Over­all, the busi­ness is to be expan­ded in the growing segment for science and indus­trial appli­ca­ti­ons. Foun­ded in 1923 and based in Ditzin­gen, Baden-Würt­­te­m­­berg, Germany, the TRUMPF Group is repre­sen­ted by more than 70 subsi­dia­ries in almost all Euro­pean count­ries, in North and South America, and in Asia, and is a leader in machine tools for flexi­ble sheet metal proces­sing and in indus­trial lasers. In 2020/21 the Group gene­ra­ted sales of 3.5 billion euros with around 14,800 employees.

About the Trumpf Group

Our task is to further deve­lop and digi­tally network produc­tion tech­no­logy, to make it even more econo­mical, precise and future-proof — that is . In doing so, we want to make produc­tion and its upstream and down­stream proces­ses more effi­ci­ent. We are buil­ding the indus­trial world of tomor­row. We are the market and tech­no­logy leader in machine tools and lasers for indus­trial manu­fac­tu­ring, and our inno­va­tions are effec­tive in almost every indus­try. Our soft­ware solu­ti­ons pave the way to the smart factory, and in indus­trial elec­tro­nics we enable high-tech proces­ses. (Sales Euro 3.5 billion in fiscal 2020/21.). www.trumpf.com

About sonn­tag corpo­rate finance

sonn­tag corpo­rate finance GmbH, based in Wetz­lar, Hesse, is one of the leading M&A consul­tancies for German medium-sized compa­nies. The team of almost 30 experts accom­pa­nies medium-sized entre­pre­neurs exclu­si­vely through the entire sales process. “Our task is to safe­guard life’s work,” is how we see oursel­ves. In the process, custo­mers bene­fit from a unique approach that has won multi­ple awards from the busi­ness press, with an anony­mi­zed bidding process that provi­des special protec­tion for the iden­tity of their compa­nies. At the begin­ning of 2021, succes­sion plan­ning was carried out in-house with a so-called manage­ment buy-out by team. The take­over by an eight-strong manage­ment team headed by mana­ging direc­tors Patrick Seip and Julian Will ensu­res that consul­ting services will conti­nue to be provi­ded at eye level in the future.

In the Refi­ni­tiv League Table 2021, sonn­tag corpo­rate finance ranks 11th and is thus once again one of the most active M&A consul­ting bouti­ques in the medium-sized segment. www.sonntagcf.com