Proventis Partners advises the shareholders of the German 3D printer manufacturer German RepRap on the sale of the company to the owners of Arburg

Munich, 25 February – Proventis Partners has advised the shareholders of German RepRap GmbH, Feldkirchen, on the sale to the owner families of Arburg GmbH & Co. KG. German RepRap is a manufacturer of industrial 3D printers and is successful in the area of FFF technology (Fused Filament Fabrication). The company has also recently introduced the new LAM (Liquid Additive Manufacturing) printing technology, which can process silicone as a material on an industrial scale.

The transaction

German RepRap GmbH is in a new development phase with accelerated growth due to internationalization and broad market introduction of its LAM printing technology and was looking for a strategic partner. With its new and registered for patent approval printing technology using liquid printing materials (including silicone), German RepRap has a significant competitive advantage and targets high-growth markets and new applications in the consumer goods, aerospace, automotive and medical technology sectors. The new owners will support and accelerate internationalization and further growth into new market segments and application areas. The founder and his long-standing operational team will continue working for the company. The new shareholders are the owners of Arburg, the important and globally active German manufacturer of plastic injection moulding machines, which also develops, produces and sells systems for additive manufacturing in its product range.

The market for 3D printers

According to market researcher IDC the market for 3D printers will grow by 21.2 percent in 2019 to 13.8 billion US dollars. Spending on 3D printers was $5.3 billion, while $4.2 billion was spent on printing materials and $3.8 billion on 3D printing services. IDC market researchers further calculated that 3D printing expenditures will be $22.7 billion in 2022. This represents an average annual growth rate of 19.7 percent through 2022, with over 50 percent of revenue expected to come from the manufacturing industry, while healthcare and education will be second and third largest. The main products would be prototypes, small series, spare parts and components for new products. In particular, industries with high demands on customization and accuracy such as fashion (e.g. footwear) and health (e.g. prosthetics) will be key factors in the market penetration of 3D printing technologies.

The role of Proventis Partners

For Proventis Partners this is the third transaction in the growing 3D printing market. In the transaction, the Proventis Partners team (Dr. Axel Deich, Associate Partner, Rainer Wieser, Partner, and Daniel Oberhumer, Director) was responsible for the management of the entire project: this included process strategy development, development of the equity story, preparation of documentation, approaching potential investors as well as coordinating the due diligence process and conducting contract negotiations.

About German RepRap

German RepRap GmbH was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Feldkirchen near Munich. The company develops and distributes 3D printers based on RepRap technology (Fused Filament Fabrication). The X400 model was the pioneer of RepRap-based large-capacity 3D printers for industrial use, making German RepRap the first company in this area on the market. A wide range of fusible plastics is used as the base material and, as the latest innovation, silicone is also processed. The company is therefore able to offer cost-effective solutions for the rapid production of prototypes, small series and spare parts for complex components for various applications and industries. The product range is constantly being expanded and includes 3D printers for professional use in product development, prototyping, model and mould making, architecture and design. Customers include major industrial companies worldwide from various industries such as automotive, aerospace, medical, art and fashion.

About Arburg

The German family-owned company Arburg is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plastic processing machines. The product portfolio encompasses Allrounder injection moulding machines with clamping forces of between 125 and 6,500kN, the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing, plus robotic systems, customer and industry-specific turnkey solutions, and further peripheral equipment.

Arburg is a pioneer in the plastics industry when it comes to production efficiency, digitalisation (Industry 4.0) and sustainability. Its arburgXworld tool covers all of its digital products and services, and is also the name of the customer portal. Its arburgGREENworld initiative, meanwhile, covers resource efficiency and circular economy strategies, plus every company activity and approach that relates to this.

Arburg’s central aim is for customers to be able to produce their plastic products, from one-off parts to large-volume batches, in optimum quality at minimum unit costs. The company’s target groups include the automotive and packaging industries, communication and entertainment electronics, medical technology and the white goods sector.
Arburg has its own organisations at 34 locations in 26 different countries and, together with its trading partners, is present in more than 100 countries. This creates an international sales and service network that allows the company to provide first-class customer support on the ground. Production takes place exclusively at the parent company in Lossburg, Germany. Of a total of roughly 3,200 employees, around 2,650 work in Germany. About 550 further employees work in Arburg’s organisations around the world. Arburg has triple certification according to ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 50001 (energy).
Further information about Arburg can be found at www.arburg.com

About Proventis Partners

Proventis Partners is a partner-managed M&A advisory firm whose clients include mainly corporate groups, medium-sized family businesses and private equity funds. With 30 M&A consultants, Proventis Partners is one of the largest independent M&A consultancies in the DACH region with offices in Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Zurich. The industry focus of the partners includes Industrials, Business Services, Consumer & Retail, TMT, Healthcare as well as Energy, where the partners can look back on more than 300 successfully completed transactions with a cumulative transaction value of 10 billion Euros. Through its exclusive membership in Mergers Alliance – the leading international partnership of M&A specialists who have realized more than 800 transactions worldwide with a total value of around 40 billion US dollars since 2010 – Proventis Partners offers market coverage in the world’s leading business centers. Through the 20 members of the Mergers Alliance, with over 200 M&A professionals in 40 offices, Proventis Partners has direct access to local decision makers in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa.