Serafin Group acquires the Rehabilitation & Mobility division from GHD Group. As part of the carve-out, the operational business will trade as ‘OTB’ and ‘rehability’. The transaction was completed on 30 April 2024.

With over 40 locations, OTB and rehability are among the largest service providers in the German healthcare and medical supplies industry. In addition to operating its own medical supply stores, the company is active in the segments of rehabilitation technology, orthopaedics and orthopaedic shoe technology. For over 50 years, OTB and rehability have been a reliable partner in the areas of mobility, prevention, care, and aftercare.

Serafin will act as a new long-term partner providing operational and strategic support. Patient well-being and care will be at the forefront to ensure a smooth transition. In the long term the service offering will be expanded, strengthening the company’s market position and underscoring its growth ambitions.

Philipp Haindl, founding partner of Serafin Group, explains, “For many years, the Rehabilitation & Mobility division of GHD has been a reliable partner for patients and institutions in the healthcare sector. We plan to continue on this path as OTB and rehability over the long run and will support the division with our operational and strategic expertise to swiftly establish it as a successful and independently operating company.”

Dr. Chima Abuba, CEO of GHD Group, adds, “The sale of the Rehabilitation & Mobility division is an important strategic step for GHD. Going forward, we will be able to concentrate fully on the versatile homecare core business, making even more targeted investments and growing profitably. Serafin is an ideal partner for the Rehabilitation & Mobility division, creating the best conditions for future success.”

Further contractual details have been agreed to not be disclosed.

eurocylinder systems AG, a Serafin Group company, has completed an important investment project in its manufacturing. The company has been producing high-pressure steel cylinders at its headquarters in Apolda, Thuringia, for over 60 years. In order to further increase production efficiency, a second part of the furnace system was renewed and structurally modified. The first part of the oven was modernised in 2019.

The company executed this important investment measure smoothly. Renovations took place during the summer holiday season and were limited to a maximum of four weeks. The prior oven was dismantled with the new system being set up, assembled and put into operation on the first day. Tests will be carried out in the coming weeks and months to determine the optimal heat treatment parameters and to achieve optimal performance.

For bottle types with large volume and weight, heat treatment was a bottleneck in the production line. The investment now prevents such a bottleneck. CEO Michael Dathe says: “Investing in this essential part of production will enable an improvement in performance for the entire company and will also reduce energy consumption and therefore costs.”

Investment in a new CNC system

Another significant investment was made during the summer of 2022. The CNC machining center, on which the entire processing for the necks of bottles had been carried out, was replaced by a new production system. Important requirements when selecting the system technology were efficiency, reduced cycle times and reliable processes without shortages. The new CNC system with two identical machines arranged in mirror image is very flexible and is controlled via central automation. The advantage: If, for example, one machine is not in service due to maintenance, production can continue with the other.

The company employs over 100 people in Apolda and the current order book is strong. The new investments will enable eurocylinder to expand capacity for its customers. These initiatives pay off in the long term and are important to maintain a strong market position.

Perlon®, headquartered in Munderkingen, Germany, which specialises in the manufacture of synthetic filaments for the Paper, Technical Textile, Brush, Personal and Dental industries, has completed the acquisition of Shaun Filaments in Goa, India. Shaun Filaments is a leading Indian producer of different types of filaments mainly for the Asian market.

Perlon® herewith expands its Asian presence and market leadership in the following business segments: Paper Machine Clothing, Advanced Technical Textiles, Technical Brush Filaments and Personal Care. “With the acquisition of Shaun Filaments, we are expanding our presence in the Asian market and creating a company that is geared towards the global filament industry of the future. This will strengthen our market leadership in all segments. Shaun Filaments is an excellent fit for the Perlon® Group with its established track record, strong reputation and knowledge in the production of filaments for the Asian market”, states Florian Kisling, CEO of Perlon®.

“This acquisition will strengthen Perlon’s global presence with its existing sites in Europe, USA and China. We are excited about the potential market opportunity in India. With Shaun Filaments’ established manufacturing capabilities, we look forward to supporting Perlon in its further growth trajectory”, states Philipp Haindl, Founder of Serafin Group.

The Perlon® Group will take over Shaun Filaments with all employees and production lines located in the Shaun Filaments factory in Goa, India

Munich-based Serafin Group has successfully completed the acquisition of Schrauben-Jäger AG including Werkzeug-Jäger GmbH following anti-trust clearance. The acquisition is effective as of February 28^th, 2023. Jäger Group, a distributor in the fasteners segment, generated a turnover of around Euros 60 million in 2022. In addition to the central site with on-site logistics in Karlsruhe, there are branches in Illingen, Willstätt, Maulburg, Viernheim and Landsberg. Serafin will continue operations at all sites with around 280 employees. It was agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

In the past year, Serafin has expanded its investments into asset management and media/film businesses thereby considerably strengthening these segments.

Operating within the asset management industry, Serafin Asset Management GmbH acquired 100% of the shares of Swiss company Alpora AG in December 2022. Serafin Asset Management (AM) is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The asset manager also agreed on a strategic cooperation with AMG Fondsverwaltung AG in September 2022. To facilitate this, Serafin AM acquired a 50% stake in AMG Fondsverwaltung AG as a first step. Serafin AM’s shareholding is expected to increase to 100% by 2026. AMG Fondsverwaltung, based in Zug, Switzerland, manages six equity funds with a total volume of around 600 million Swiss francs.

Serafin is active in media and film businesses via Philipp Haindl’s investment in Night Train Media GmbH & Co. KG. Founded in 2020 by Herbert L. Kloiber, the company acquired a majority stake in the British production company Curve Media in the autumn of 2022. The shares of Curve’s previous investor BBC Studios were taken over in this process. Curve Media creates TV productions for American and British broadcasters. Night Train Media is an investment and co-production company. It also acquired the shares of the international TV distribution company Eccho Rights from the Korean media group CJ ENM in 2022. Eccho Rights focuses mainly on the distribution of series from Turkey, Scandinavia, South Korea and most recently from the English-speaking world.

Serafin combines a diversified portfolio of subsidiaries under its umbrella. This includes the shares held by Philipp Haindl in Night Train Media and Serafin Asset Management. Both companies benefit from the expertise and financial resources of the Serafin Group.

Turnover of more than 1 billion euros

Last year, Serafin reached an important milestone in its development. Twelve years after incorporation, the combined revenues of its group companies have surpassed the 1 billion euro mark.

Serafin founder Philipp Haindl says: “We are delighted that Serafin has reached its 1 billion euro turnover milestone. We want to keep growing via further acquisitions and organically in 2023 and beyond. While doing so, we will continue to focus on profitable growth.”

Serafin Group has signed an agreement to acquire the companies Schrauben-Jäger AG along with Werkzeug-Jäger GmbH.

Jäger Group, headquartered in Karlsruhe, is a distributor in the fasteners segment and specialises in the sale of screws, nuts, drawing parts and other tools primarily to manufacturing companies and tradesmen. With a turnover of ca. Euros 60 million and 280 employees, the Company is one of the largest regional suppliers in the segment. Offering over 250,000 items, Jäger Group offers a “one-stop shop” approach with its wide assortment of products. The range is complemented by a comprehensive range of services ranging from C-parts management, Kanban with RFID-based solutions, barcode technology to connection to ERP systems.

As Serafin founder Philipp Haindl explains, “We have extensive experience in the field of tools and screws. Via this acquisition, we are continuing to strengthen this segment which has consistently generated positive results for us. The Jäger Group operates profitably, is highly successful in the market and enjoys an excellent reputation which makes it a perfect fit for our portfolio. As a long-term investor, we look forward to participating in the Company’s continued successful development and supporting it in the years to come.”

“For over 65 years Schrauben-Jäger has been successful in the market and was able to positively shape the past three years despite many challenges. Thanks to the new owner Serafin, we have achieved an optimal succession solution. Our Company will be in good hands in the future. Our positive discussions and the development of Serafin Group to date were decisive for our decision”, states the shareholder and chairman of the supervisory board Andrea Jäger.

Closing of the transaction is expected in the first quarter of 2023. The deal is subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities. It was agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

The suki group (suki.international, Facido, DBM.S) has acquired the French group VT Fastware (Vynex, Tréfilaction, FTV-Asia). Both suki group and VTF are active in the distribution of DIY products. These include hardware, hand tools, self-adhesives and other DIY essentials.

VTF is the leading French provider of product solutions, merchandise presentation as well as logistics and in-store services for DIY stores, supermarkets and professional hardware stores. With a team of 300 people VTF has a turnover of 85 million Euros. VTF is based in Thelonne in the north-east of France together with Vynex while Tréfilaction is based near Nîmes in the South of France. The VTF group also includes a trading organisation, packaging and logistics centres in Asia (China and Vietnam).

Sebastian Laus, CEO of suki group, announced, “I’m happy to welcome VTF in the growing suki group. The acquisition of VTF is a unique opportunity for the future of the two groups. Together, we will be even better able to serve our customers in different regions and sales channels.” 

Following this acquisition Serafin Group has reached the next milestone in its corporate development. The diversified industrial group now exceeds 1 billion Euros in revenues.

Serafin’s founder Philipp Haindl says, “The acquisition is strategically important for suki, since both companies complement each other excellently. Moreover, the M&A transaction is significant for Serafin because we have successfully achieved the 1 billion Euros revenue milestone. Our Group is well positioned to continue its trajectory of profitable growth in the coming years.”