GCA Altium acted as exclusive financial adviser to the shareholders of Raith, the global market leader for nanofabrication equipment, on its sale to capiton and management.
Raith GmbH, headquartered in Dortmund, develops and manufactures high-end nanofabrication systems and software which enable the printing and scanning of nanostructures. The company’s maximum precision systems are utilized primarily for R&D purposes, especially in the semiconductor industry (e.g. to develop microchip circuits).
Over the course of almost four decades, Raith developed from a specialist for scanning electron beam microscope components into the globally leading provider of electron beam lithography instruments. To date, the company has installed over 800 systems globally. Its customers include the world’s leading universities (e.g. Cambridge, Princeton and Yale) and major organizations involved in nanotechnology research and materials science.
Raith employs around 200 people worldwide, of which 120 are based at its headquarters in Dortmund, and generated sales of € 54 million in 2015. The company has two production sites in Germany and the Netherlands, as well as three distribution units in the US, China and India.
HANNOVER Finanz invested in Raith in 2002 and supported the company’s growth. capiton acquired the business from HANNOVER Finanz and is planning to grow the business organically both via international and product expansion, leveraging Raith’s strong market position, as well as through targeted acquisitions.
“Raith is a technology leader that has shown a strong growth track record paired with innovation power and high quality standards which are valued by its renowned customer base. We were delighted to advise the shareholders and management team to find the right partner to continue its success story. Raith enjoys an outstanding reputation in the market and we are convinced that together with capiton it is best positioned to continue its growth path,” said Tobias Schultheiss, Managing Director at GCA Altium.
All involved parties agreed not to disclose the terms of the transaction, which is still subject to regulatory approval.