Cologne – Webasto, a leading global automotive supplier headquartered in Stockdorf near Munich, has sold a majority stake in its charging solutions business. The business includes charging cables, mobile chargers and wallboxes. The German company is one of the 100 largest suppliers to the automotive sector worldwide and will remain invested in the division as a minority shareholder. It intends to focus on its core business segments going forward. In 2022, Webasto took the strategic decision to seek an investor for the charging solutions business. The buyer is private equity firm Transom Capital Group, based in Los Angeles, USA. The two companies signed a purchase agreement on 7 February 2024. Further details of the transaction were not disclosed.A CMS team headed by lead partner Klaus Jäger advised Webasto on all legal aspects of the sale. The German CMS team worked closely with CMS teams from Mexico City and Beijing, as well as US law firms Miller & Martin PLLC and Locke Lord LLP. The sales process was highly complex, partly due to the fact that prior to the sale the unit in question needed to be restructured by taking appropriate action across a number of different jurisdictions. Webasto has relied on the expertise of CMS in the past, most recently when acquiring all the shares in Luxembourg company Carlex Glass. Established in 1901, automotive supplier Webasto focuses on roof systems and on vehicle electrification in its development, manufacturing and sales operations. The product range includes openable and fixed roofs, electric high-voltage heaters and batteries and thermo management solutions. Webasto’s customers range from manufacturers of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and boats to dealers and end customers. In 2022, the group generated sales of over EUR 4 billion and employed some 16,800 people across more than 50 locations worldwide. CMS Germany Klaus Jäger, Lead Part­ner Anna-Lena Löcherbach, Counsel Philipp Knopp, Senior As­so­ci­ate Domin­ic Zimmer, Associate Nina Fink, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Angela Emmert, Partner Lennard Martin Lürwer, Counsel Marcel Heinen, Senior Associate, all Labor, Employment & Pensions Dr Sebastian Cording, Partner Lars Howe, Associate Dr Markus Kaulartz, Partner Dr Reemt Matthiesen, Partner, all TMC Dr Alexandra Schluck-Amend, Partner Manuel Nann, Senior As­so­ci­ate  Fran­ziska Fuchs, Senior Associate, all Restructuring and Insolvency Lars Eckhoff, Partner Dr Philipp Rohdenburg, Counsel, both Commercial Dr Dirk Smielick, Principal Counsel, Intellectual Property Dr Christian Scherer, Partner, Real Estate & Public Barbara Bayer, Counsel, Banking, Finance & Insurance Moritz Pottek, Counsel, Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Arne Burmester, Principal Counsel Conrad Gräwe, Legal Coordinator Romy Rosenhahn, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Stephanie Schulz, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Steven Washington, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Tag­rid Chahrour, Senior Legal Specialist Anke Clippingdale, Senior Legal Specialist Lisa Mattmann, Senior Legal Specialist Sarah Przybylski, Senior Legal Specialist Edris Trabzadah, Senior Legal Specialist Faraz Ahmad, Legal Specialist Jule Marie Holz, Legal Specialist Sofia Schreiner, Legal Spe­cial­ist Al­ex­an­der Stadahl, Legal Specialist, all Smart Operations CMS China Dr Falk Lichtenstein, Partner, Corporate/M&A CMS Mexico Giancarlo Schievenini, Partner, Corporate/M&A MILLER & MARTIN PLLC, Attorneys at Law, Atlanta, USA Mike Marshall, Partner Joe De Lisle, Partner Locke Lord LLP, Boston, USA Jonathan Young, PartnerPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com   

Cologne – KANSAI HELIOS has acquired the entire industrial coatings business of GREBE Holding, based in Weilburg in Hessen, Germany, which operates under the name WEILBURGER Coatings. WEILBURGER Coatings is a well-known manufacturer of industrial coatings and comprises of WEILBURGER Coatings GmbH in Weilburg and WEILBURGER Asia Limited in Hong Kong. The share purchase agreement was signed on February 9, 2024. With the acquisition, KANSAI HELIOS intends to significantly expand its strategic position as a system supplier and manufacturer of industrial coatings and extend its geographical presence internationally. The company will also gain additional expertise, distribution channels, production and storage capacities. The parties involved have agreed not to disclose further details of the transaction. An international CMS team headed by Lead Partner Klaus Jäger and Christoph Schröer provided KANSAI HELIOS with comprehensive legal advice on the acquisition. The complexity of the transaction is characterized in particular by the size of the acquired Weilburger Coatings Group, which, in addition to the German companies, includes subsidiaries in Brazil, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Turkey and the USA. In addition to the actual purchase agreements in Germany and Hong Kong, CMS drafted and negotiated numerous other contracts. In addition to CMS teams in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Turkey, France, Serbia, Austria and the United Kingdom, the law firms MILLER & MARTIN PLLC from the USA and Vaish Associates Advocates from India also provided support. KANSAI HELIOS regularly relies on the expertise of CMS, most recently in connection with the acquisition of all shares in CWS Lackfabrik GmbH (CWS), which specializes in powder coatings and synthetic resins, including the group companies in Germany, the USA, Denmark and Poland. KANSAI HELIOS, headquartered in Vienna, is part of the Japanese KANSAI PAINT Group. The company has a history of more than 170 years and is one of the major global players in the paints and coatings market. KANSAI HELIOS designs, produces and distributes industrial coating solutions, bleaching and cleaning chemicals, materials for sticking and sealing, high-quality resins, architectural paints and refinishing coatings throughout Europe and beyond. WEILBURGER Coatings was founded in 1900 at its current headquarters in Weilburg and has group companies in Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, the USA, Brazil, India and China. With around 600 employees at seven production sites and several sales offices, the company is active worldwide and generates a turnover of around 150 million euros. CMS Germany Klaus Jäger, Lead Partner Dr Kai Wallisch, Part­ner Chris­toph Schröer, Senior Associate Dr Katharina Kapp, Associate Dr Henrik Meurer, As­so­ci­ate Domin­ic Zimmer, As­so­ci­ate Kath­rin Dengel, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Björn Herbers, Partner Moritz Pottek, Counsel Dr Denis Schlimpert, Counsel Kirsten Baubkus-Gerard, Senior Associate Dr Robert Bodewig, Senior Associate David Rappenglück, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Dirk Smielick, Principal Counsel Claudia Böhmer, Counsel, both IP Dr Angela Emmert, Partner Dr Andreas Hofelich, Partner Dr Mario Brungs, Counsel Lennard Martin Lürwer, Counsel Marcel Heinen, Senior Associate, all Labor, Employment & Pensions Michael Kamps, Partner Thorsten Hemme, Principal Counsel Dr Arne Schmieke, Senior Associate, all TMC Dr Martin Friedberg, Partner, Tax law Dr André Lippert, Partner Maike Füchtmann, Senior Associate, both Real Estate & Public Dorothée Janzen, Partner Dr Philipp Rohdenburg, Counsel, both Com­mer­cial Birgit Wagner, Legal Manager Conrad Gräwe, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Steven Washington, Legal Coordinator Anke Clippingdale, Senior Legal Specialist Edris Trabzadah, Senior Legal Specialist Faraz Ahmad, Legal Specialist Sofia Schreiner, Legal Spe­cial­ist Al­ex­an­der Stadahl, Legal Specialist, all Smart Operations CMS Beijing Falk Licht­en­stein Roxy Meng CMS Milan Daniela Murer Alessandra Cuni CMS Rome Fabrizio Spagnolo CMS Istanbul Döne Yalçın Merve Akkuş CMS Paris Thomas Hains Marion Berberian CMS Belgrade Maja Stepanović CMS Vienna Dr Dieter Zandler CMS London Russell Hoare Melanie Lane Focaccia Amaral L S Advogados, Brazil in association with CMS Renata Homem de Melo Fontes Carla Anastácio Lau, Horton & Wise LLP, Hong Kong in association with CMS Shirley Lau Albert Jok MILLER & MARTIN PLLC, USA Joe DeLisle Vaish Associates Advocates, India Shrinivas SankaranPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

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