Taylor Wessing advises Keith & Koep on the sale to Garz & Fricke

The international commercial law firm Taylor Wessing, under the leadership of the Düsseldorf partner Ernst-Albrecht von Beauvais, provided legal advice to the shareholders of the Wuppertal-based processor module specialist Keith & Koep GmbH, Volker Keith and Luitger Koep, on the sale to Garz & Fricke. The takeover makes Garz & Fricke one of the leading manufacturers of embedded hardware and software solutions based on ARM architectures. Garz & Fricke is a portfolio company of Afinum Siebte Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and is advised by Afinum Management GmbH.

Keith & Koep is one of the leading providers of software and hardware system integrations and specializes in compact plug-in computer modules, so-called System on Modules (SOM). The Wuppertal-based company was the first in the world to market these modules on the basis of an ARM architecture, thus setting an international industry standard. SOMs are used in medical technology, industrial automation, robotics and aeronautical engineering, among others. Even after the acquisition by Garz & Fricke, the two company founders, Volker Keith and Luitger Koep, continue to be responsible for the production site in Wuppertal.

Garz & Fricke, a medium-sized company founded in 1992 and based in Hamburg, is a specialist in the development and manufacture of embedded systems, automation control and human-machine-interface components. Its customers include OEMs and system integrators from the target markets of medical technology, food service electronics, security technology and industrial automation. With the acquisition of Keith & Koep, the company has become the leading manufacturer of ARM-based embedded computer systems and now has about 180 employees.

Afinum is an independent investment company and specializes in investments in successful medium-sized companies in German-speaking Europe. The company, headquartered in Munich, has been active in the private equity market since 2000. Afinum also has offices in Zurich and Hong Kong.

Legal Advisors Keith & Koep GmbH

Taylor Wessing: Lead Dr. Ernst-Albrecht von Beauvais (Partner, M&A), Dr. Dennis Häger, Dr. Marcel Leines, Daniel Mursa, all Associate, all M&A, all Düsseldorf, Stephan Manuel Nagel (Partner), Paulina M. Stemmler (Associate), both Düsseldorf, both Competition law, Dr. Bert Kimpel (Partner), Johanna Thünnesen (Associate), both Tax, both Düsseldorf, Dr. Michael Johannes Pils (Salary Partner), Meike Brecklinghaus (Associate), both Employment, Pensions & Mobility, both Düsseldorf, Ulf Gosejacob (Salary Partner, Banking & Finance, Frankfurt), Dr. Maximilian Oehlschlägel (Senior Associate, Tax, Hamburg), Johannes Callet (Partner), Jan Pieper (Salary Partner), both Commercial Real Estate, both Berlin