Gimv acquires majority stake in Laser 2000

Weßling/ Munich — Gimv acqui­res majo­rity stake in Laser 2000 GmbH, a market leader for the distri­bu­tion of photo­nics solu­ti­ons in Europe. Toge­ther with the previous owners of the company, the Euro­pean invest­ment company Gimv has reached an agree­ment on the acqui­si­tion of 75% of the shares in Laser 2000 GmbH. As part of the tran­sac­tion, it was agreed that the foun­der and mana­ging direc­tor Armin Luft will conti­nue to hold a mino­rity stake in the company.

Laser 2000 (www.laser2000.de) was foun­ded in 1986 and has since deve­lo­ped into an inde­pen­dent Euro­pean market leader for inno­va­tive laser and photo­nics solu­ti­ons. The company’s compre­hen­sive product port­fo­lio ranges from lasers and light sources for mate­rial proces­sing to metro­logy and fiber optics, as well as 3D image proces­sing, opti­cal measu­ring instru­ments and came­ras. With over 30 years of expe­ri­ence in the market, Laser 2000 is a pioneer in the photo­nics indus­try and ther­e­fore alre­ady has long-stan­­ding custo­mer and supplier rela­ti­onships. Custo­mers include renow­ned compa­nies and rese­arch insti­tu­ti­ons from the fields of auto­ma­tion and sensor tech­no­logy, opti­cal commu­ni­ca­ti­ons and network tech­no­logy, biotech­no­logy and medi­cine, the auto­mo­tive indus­try, and aero­space technology.

In recent years, the company, which is head­quar­te­red in Weßling and employs a total of 65 people, has grown conti­nuously and has steadily expan­ded its busi­ness by estab­li­shing seve­ral foreign subsi­dia­ries in Europe (France, Spain, Sweden). Laser 2000 bene­fi­ted from conti­nuous market growth in the photo­nics sector.

Laser 2000 is very well posi­tio­ned for the future: In the coming years, the company will conti­nue to expand its natio­nal and inter­na­tio­nal busi­ness as a proven compe­tent part­ner and consul­tant for its custo­mers and suppli­ers. With its compre­hen­sive product port­fo­lio and comple­men­tary custo­­mer-speci­­fic system solu­ti­ons, Laser 2000 can opti­mally serve all custo­mer needs in this field with its products and services. In addi­tion, the photo­nics market conti­nues to expect strong market growth in the future, also based on new fields of appli­ca­tion for laser technology.

Armin Luft, foun­der and CEO of Laser 2000, explains: “Opti­cal tech­no­lo­gies are pene­t­ra­ting more and more appli­ca­tion areas in indus­try. For more than 30 years we have stood for inno­va­tion, crea­ti­vity, quality and highest custo­mer satis­fac­tion in the photo­nics market and we want to grow further. I am very plea­sed to have found in Gimv a part­ner for the succes­sion who stands for successful, long-term coope­ra­tion and sustainable value crea­tion in medium-sized compa­nies. We share the enthu­si­asm for future tech­no­lo­gies and will conti­nue the success story of Laser 2000 together.”

Ronald Bartel, Part­ner in the Munich office and active in the Smart Indus­tries divi­sion of Gimv, adds: “Photo­nics is a cross-sectional tech­no­logy in all important indus­tries and will decisi­vely shape this century tech­no­lo­gi­cally and econo­mic­ally — whether in Indus­try 4.0, auto­no­mous driving, diagno­stics or broad­band trans­mis­sion. In this context, Laser 2000 is excel­lently posi­tio­ned as an inde­pen­dent inter­me­diary between custo­mers and a variety of suppli­ers and products. The company has the best prere­qui­si­tes to further expand its market leader­ship — and we want to actively support it in this endeavor.”

The tran­sac­tion is still subject to appr­oval by the anti­trust autho­ri­ties. Further details of the tran­sac­tion will not be disclosed.

About Gimv
Gimv is a Euro­pean invest­ment firm with nearly 40 years of expe­ri­ence in private equity and venture capi­tal. The company is listed on Euron­ext Brussels, curr­ently mana­ges around EUR 1.6 billion and has invest­ments in 50 port­fo­lio compa­nies. As a reco­gni­zed leader in exclu­sive invest­ment plat­forms, Gimv iden­ti­fies inno­va­tive, leading compa­nies with high growth poten­tial and supports them on their way to market leader­ship. Each of the four invest­ment plat­forms Connec­ted Consu­mer, Health & Care, Smart Indus­tries and Sustainable Cities is mana­ged by a dedi­ca­ted and compe­tent team, each based in Gimv’s home markets — Bene­lux, France and DACH — and supported by an exten­sive inter­na­tio­nal network of experts.