Bruker Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed US tech company, entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Chemspeed Technologies AG, a Swiss provider of vendor-agnostic automated laboratory R&D and QC workflow solutions. Chemspeed is focused on modular automation and robotics solutions for chemical research, pharma drug formulation, materials research for cleantech and consumer applications. The Chemspeed acquisition accelerates Bruker’s entry into lab automation, digitalisation and scientific software solutions. Chemspeed offers modular automation to enhance productivity in R&D and QC departments to achieve more in less time and without additional staff. Chemspeed complements Bruker’s vendor-agnostic plat­form SciY™ for software automation and digital transformation of R&D labs in the life science, biopharma and cleantech industries. An international CMS team headed by Stefan Brunnschweiler and Andrea Relly (Switzerland), in collaboration with the US law firm Nixon Peabody LLP advised Bruker on all legal aspects of the transaction. CMS Switzer­land­Stefan Brunnschweiler, Lead Partner, Corporate / M&AAndrea Relly, Counsel, Corporate / M&ASamuel Gang, Senior Associate, Corporate / M&AAnna Mast, Associate, Corporate / M&AMarquard Christen, Partner, Competition and ComplianceJulia Haas, Senior Associate, Competition and Com­pli­ance­Bernhard Lötscher, Partner, ComplianceSophie Weber, Associate, ComplianceDr Dirk Spacek, Partner, Intellectual PropertyDr Simone Brauch­bar-Birkhäuser, Partner, Intellectual PropertyOlivia Zingg, Associate, Intellectual PropertyMark Cagienard, Partner, TaxJens Lehmann, Senior Associate, TaxMiryam Meile, Senior Associate, Em­ploy­mentSibylle Schnyder, Partner, Real EstateReto Hunsperger, Partner, Com­mer­cialAl­ex­an­der Salamon, Attorney Trainee, Corporate / M&ASophia Rovelli, Attorney Trainee, Corporate / M&AElisabeth Suter, Attorney Trainee, ComplianceCMS BelgiumKai Neuhaus, Partner, Brussel, CompetitionDavid Rappenglück, Associate, Brussel, CompetitionCMS UKRussel Hoare, Partner, Lon­don, Com­pet­i­tion­Claire Barraclough, Associate, Competition

Zurich, January 2024 | A team of CMS Switzerland under the lead of Stefan Brunnschweiler and Samuel Felix Gang provided comprehensive advice to the sole shareholder on all legal aspects regarding the sale of Argolite AG to SWISS KRONO Group. The team further consisted of Sibylle Schnyder, David Hürlimann, Andrea Relly, Ferdinand Blezinger, Dominik Penkov and Alexander Salamon. Argolite AG, which was founded in 1937 and operates out of Willisau (Switzerland), has been producing laminates since 1953 and is the only Swiss manufacturer of HPL (High Pressure Laminate) in accordance with the EN438 quality standard, having around 80 employees. Founded in Menznau (Switzerland) in 1966, the SWISS KRONO Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of wood-based materials and stands for sustainable and innovative solutions in the Flooring, Interiors and Building Materials business. SWISS KRONO focuses on recyclable materials for living and working environments. As a preferred partner, SWISS KRONO enables its customers to grow with green building materials. Founded as a family business, the Group is wholly owned by Ines Kaindl-Benes. For the SWISS KRONO Group, the acquisition offers synergies and growth opportunities in an increasingly competitive market and also represents a clear commitment to the home market and the location in Switzerland. Despite the acquisition by the SWISS KRONO Group, Argolite AG will retain its legal independence, the Willisau site and the jobs there. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price of the transaction. CMS Switzer­land­Stefan Brunnschweiler, LL.M., Managing Partner, Head Corporate/M&ASamuel Felix Gang, LL.M., Senior Associate, Corporate/M&AAndrea Relly, Counsel, Corporate/M&ADr Ferdinand Blezinger, LL.M., Senior Associate, Corporate/M&AAlexander Salamon, Attorney Trainee, Corporate/M&ADr Sibylle Schnyder, LL.M., Partner, Real EstateDavid Hürlimann, Managing Partner, TaxDominik Penkov, Associate, Tax

Zurich, December 2023After thorough examination, the owner families of Hunkeler AG and Müller Martini AG have decided to merge the Hunkeler Group with the Müller Martini Group. Müller Martini Holding AG has acquired all shares of the Hunkeler Group in this transaction. As part of this deal, the Hunkeler family and Crédit Mutuel Equity have sold all their shares to Müller Mar­tini. Hunkel­er AG and Müller Martini AG are both global market leaders with innovative solutions for post-print paper processing. Both companies focus a significant portion of their innovation efforts on the economical production of personalized print products within an automated smart factory. Through this merger, both firms see significant opportunities to consolidate their innovation activities and better serve their global customer base in the future through joint sales and service activities.A team from CMS Switzerland and CMS London, led by Partner Alain Raemy, provided comprehensive legal advice to the Hunkeler family and Crédit Mutuel Equity. The CMS team consisted of the following experts: CMS SwitzerlandAlain Raemy, Lead Partner, Corporate / M&AMarquard Christen, Partner, RegulatoryAndrea Relly, Counsel, Corporate / M&AAlexander Salamon, Trainee,  Corporate / M&ACMS LondonRussel Hoare, Partner, RegulatoryEmma Waterhouse, Senior Associate, Regulatory

On 31 October 2023, Renais­sance, to­geth­er with industry expert Daniel Lippuner and the management of Heberlein AG, acquired the entire business operations of Heberlein AG. The acquired business will continue to operate unchanged at its current location in Wattwil with the existing management and all employees under the name Heberlein Technology AG. Heberlein was founded in 1835 and has established itself as a leading provider of nozzles for synthetic continuous yarns worldwide, developing, manufacturing, and distributing key components for the chemical fiber industry, with approximately 80 employees. Renais­sance, based in Lausanne, was founded by pension funds for pension funds and has been investing in unlisted Swiss SMEs for over 20 years.A team from CMS, led by Alain Raemy, provided comprehensive legal and tax advice to Renaissance in this transaction. CMS SwitzerlandAlain Raemy, Partner, Corporate / M&AAndrea Relly, Counsel, Corporate / M&AMark Cagienard, Partner, TaxDominik Penkov, Associate, Tax Dr. Simone Brauchbar Birkhäuser, Partner, IP / ITPhilipp Dickenmann, Partner, Dispute ResolutionReto Hunsperger, Partner, RestructuringDr. Marjolaine Jakob, Partner, Re­struc­turin­gOlivia Zingg, Associate, IP / ITHelena Loretan, Associate, Real EstateKatja Bertsche, Senior Associate, Real EstateDr. Miryam Meile, Senior Associate, Employment Anna Mast, Associate, Corporate / M&AAlexander Salamon, Lawyer Trainee, Corporate / M&A

Bruker Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed US tech company, has acquired a majority stake in MIRO Analytical AG, an innovative provider of fast, compact Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL)-based multi-gas analyzers for simultaneous, highest-pre­ci­sion monitoring of up to 10 trace gases. Based near Zürich, the Swiss start-up company MIRO serves atmospheric research and industrial customers, enabling fast, mobile, highest-pre­ci­sion air pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis to advance climate science, air pollution and industrial process monitoring. MIRO complements the Bruker Optics gas-analysis spectroscopy portfolio with fast, compact, highest-pre­ci­sion QCL multi-trace gas analyzers. An international CMS team headed by Stefan Brunnschweiler and Andrea Relly (Switzerland) as well as Dr Hendrik Hirsch and Berrit Roth-Mingram (Germany) advised Bruker on all legal aspects of the transaction. CMS Switzer­land­Stefan Brunnschweiler, Lead Partner, Corporate / M&AAndrea Relly, Counsel, Corporate / M&AMark Cagienard, Partner, TaxMiryam Meile, Senior Associate, EmploymentAnna Mast, Associate, Corporate / M&AAlexander Salamon, Junior Associate, Corporate / M&ACMS Ger­manyDr Hendrik Hirsch, Lead Partner, Frankfurt/Main, Corporate/M&ADr Berrit Roth-Mingram, Counsel, Frankfurt/Main, Corporate/M&ADr Thomas Hirse, Partner, Dus­sel­dorf, In­tel­lec­tu­al PropertySven Krause, Senior Associate, Dusseldorf, Intellectual Property

Berlin – The Haufe Group SE, a leading B2B provider of integrated business and workplace solutions, has sold its talent management business to Swiss software firm Abacus Research AG. The transaction...

Saint-Gobain, a leader in light and sustainable construction, has signed a binding agreement for the sale of its glass processing business Glassolutions in Switzerland to the privately owned German group AEQUITA. CMS Switzerland acted as legal advisor and EY acted as M&A, tax and carve-out advisor to Saint-Gobain. The sale of this division, expected to close by the end of May 2023, is part of Saint-Gobain's ongoing strategic plan to optimize its business profile. The CMS team led by partner Alain Raemy provided comprehensive legal advice to Saint-Gobain on the spin-off of the Glassolutions division and on the sales transaction. CMS TeamAlain Raemy, Partner, Corporate/M&AMark Cagienard, Partner, TaxChristian Gersbach, Partner, EmploymentDr Sibylle Schnyder, Partner, Real EstateTanja Schaub, Counsel, TaxAndrea Relly, Senior Associate, Corporate/M&AThomas Zweifel, Senior Associate, Real EstateHelena Loretan, Associate, Real EstateAnna Mast, Associate, Corporate/M&ARafael Gruber, Attorney Trainee, Real EstateAlexander Salamon, Attorney Trainee, Corporate/M&ANatalie Németh, Corporate Administration

Weidmann has sold its North American Diagnostic Laboratory business and InsuLogix® monitoring product line to the Megger Group. The InsuLogix® HMA is a high-performance online monitor that detects and monitors faults in power transformers and load tap changers by measuring the levels of Hydrogen (H2), Acetylene (C2H2) and Moisture. The nine oil test laboratories in Canada, Mexico and the US will operate as AVO Diagnostic Services, providing the vital knowledge that operators need to help lower risk and improve their electrical system’s reliability. Weidmann are confident Megger will continue to serve the customers at the highest level and bring additional value through their extensive products and services offered. Weidmann further believe that many synergies exist between the two organizations and expect this to be the first step in defining a partnership for the future that allows both companies to maximize the value they bring to different customer bases. The Weidmann Group is a privately held, family owned company supplying technical products and services, with almost 150 years of experience. Employing about 2,700 persons in over 30 production sites and service centers around the world, the Group has three key business areas: Weidmann Electrical Technology, Weidmann Fiber Technology and Weidmann Medical Technology. Established in the late 1800s, Megger has been designing and making test and measurement instruments that perform electrical measurements for preventative maintenance, troubleshooting and commissioning for decades. It now has local offices in many locations with technical support teams and distributors all over the world.A team of CMS Switzerland led by Partner Stefan Brunnschweiler and Senior Associate Florian Jung advised Weidmann on all legal aspects of the transaction. The team also included Andrea Relly (Senior Associate, corporate/M&A), Alexander Salamon (Trainee, corporate/M&A), Dirk Spacek (Partner, IP), and Julia Nitschke (Associate, IP). The team was further assisted by CMS Mexico (lead contact Giancarlo Schievenini), Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC (DRM; lead contact Mary Parent) in the US and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG; lead contact David Henry) in Canada. CMS Switzer­land­Stefan Brunnschweiler, Partner, Corporate/M&AFlorian Jung, Senior Associate, Corporate/M&AAndrea Relly, Senior Associate, Corporate/M&AAlexander Salamon, Trainee, Corporate/M&ADirk Spacek, Partner, Intellectual Property Julia Nitschke, Associate, Intellectual PropertyCMS Mex­ico Gi­an­carlo Schievenini, Partner, Head of Corporate/M&A Mexico City 

Zurich, 4 January 2023 Bruker Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed US tech company, has entered into a partnership with Swiss firm Biognosys AG to deliver advanced proteomics CRO services for US biopharma and biomarker customers. As part of the partnership, Bruker has made a ma­jor­ity-own­er­ship investment in Biognosys AG. Biognosys is a leader in the development of proteomics technologies and solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech research. The strategic partnership is expected to create unique synergies between Biognosys’ portfolio of proteomics services, software and kits, and Bruker’s pioneering timsTOF platform. As a result of the partnership, Biognosys plans to open its first advanced proteomics CRO services laboratory in the US. Details of the transaction were not disclosed. An international CMS team headed by Stefan Brunnschweiler and Dr Hendrik Hirsch advised Bruker on all legal aspects of the transaction. Bruker has also relied on the expertise of CMS in the past. Previous work by CMS for Bruker Corporation included providing legal advice on the company’s investment in PreOmics. CMS Switzer­land­Stefan Brunnschweiler, Lead Partner, Zurich, Corporate / M&AAndrea Relly, Senior Associate, Corporate / M&ASamuel Felix Gang, Senior Associate, Corporate / M&APascal Stocker, Senior Associate, Corporate / M&AAnna Mast, Associate, Corporate / M&ADr Simone Brauchbar Birkhäuser, Partner, Intellectual PropertyMark Cagienard, Partner, TaxSarah Keller, Senior Associate, Employment & PensionsHadi Mirzai, Senior Associate, Life Sciences and Com­pet­i­tion­Valentina Balaj, As­so­ci­ate, Reg­u­lat­ory / ComplianceCMS Ger­manyDr Hendrik Hirsch, Lead Partner, Frankfurt/Main, Corporate/M&ADr Berrit Roth-Mingram, Senior Associate, Frankfurt/Main, Corporate/M&ADr Thomas Hirse, Partner, Dus­sel­dorf, In­tel­lec­tu­al PropertySven Krause, Senior Associate, Dusseldorf, Intellectual Property

Bruker Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed US tech company in the analytical instrumentation sector, has acquired a stake in Swiss firm Tofwerk. Tofwerk develops time-of-flight mass spectrometers and ion mobility spectrometers for research laboratories. Tofwerk's technology has multiple applications, including in the field of environmental tech (air analysis, atmosphere, semiconductor manufacture, biochemistry and nanotechnology). Details of the transaction were not disclosed.A CMS team headed by lead partner Dr Hendrik Hirsch and Stefan Brunnschweiler advised Bruker on all legal aspects of the transaction. Bruker is a longstanding CMS client and has been advised by CMS on several acquisitions and disposals in the past. CMS recently advised Bruker on acquiring PreOmics, Prolab and PepSep. CMS GermanyDr Hendrik Hirsch, Partner, Corporate / M&ADr Berrit Roth-Mingram, Senior Associate, Corporate / M&ADr Thomas Hirse, Partner, Intellectual PropertyCMS Switzer­land­Stefan Brunnschweiler, Partner, Corporate / M&AAndrea Relly, Associate, Corporate / M&APascal Stocker, Associate, Corporate / M&ADavid Hürlimann, Partner, TaxCMS ChinaDr Ulrike Glück, Partner, Corporate / M&AAiping Bao, Counsel, Corporate / M&AGilbert Shen, Counsel, Tax

An in­ter­na­tion­al team led by Stefan Brunnschweiler (CMS Switzerland) in cooperation with CMS UK and MinterEllison in Australia has advised FRVR on all matters relating to the acquisition by FRVR of the free-to-play first-per­son shooter Krunker. io. Started by Swiss game developer Sidney de Vries in 2018 and already played by over 200 million unique players world­wide, Krunker is a massively popular shooter that features full modding support that can be played any­where, without having to install the computer game. FRVR is a games platform company building an ecosystem to connect billions of players to captivating games. FRVR’s mission is to democratize computer game distribution by making sure to deliver great games for everyone, everywhere, working alongside amazing developers and innovative partners. With FRVR, finding great computer games is never more than three clicks away. FRVR was founded by computer games industry veterans Chris Benjaminsen and Brian Meidell in 2017 and has grown from a small passion project into over 100 employees across 6 of­fices world­wide. CMS Switzer­land­Stefan Brunnsch­weiler, Man­aging Partner, Corporate/M&ADr Dirk Spacek, Partner, IT and IPTina Balzli, Partner, Fintech & BlockchainMark Ca­gi­enard, Part­ner, TaxDr Simone Brauchbar Birkhäuser, Coun­sel, IPAlexandra Stocker, Associate, Corporate/M&AAndrea Relly, As­so­ci­ate, Corporate/M&AChristina Winter, As­so­ci­ate, EmploymentCMS United KingdomAnthony Waller, Relationship Partner, Corporate/M&A

Zurich | March 2022A team of CMS Switzerland under the lead of Stefan Brunnschweiler provided comprehensive advice to Swedish CIDAN Machinery Group on all legal aspects regarding the acquisition of Swiss long folder producer Thalmann Maschinenbau AG. CIDAN Machinery Group is a world leading, innovative supplier to the sheet metal industry. The group operates manufacturing locations in Sweden and Austria and has office locations in several European countries, the United States and China. The headquarters of the company, founded in 1907, is based in Götene, Sweden. Thalmann Maschinenbau is a world leading company in long folding technology. The company has a strong track record of bringing innovations to the market that lead to significant efficiency improvements, cost reductions and higher precision and flexibility of the folding process. The company was founded in 1948 and operates from Frauenfeld, Switzerland. With the acquisition of Thalmann Maschinenbau AG, CIDAN is adding yet another strong brand to its already strong portfolio that includes CIDAN, Forstner and nuIT. The Thalmann location in Switzerland will remain the major hub for long folder innovation and production. The 50 employees of Thalmann will be joining the CIDAN Machinery Group and remain employed at Frauenfeld. CIDAN is committed to build on the strengths of the existing team with the aim to further grow the business of long folders within the group. CMS Switzer­land­Stefan Brunnschweiler, LL.M., Lead, Managing Partner, Co-Global Head CMS Corporate/M&A GroupSamuel Felix Gang, LL.M., Associate, Corporate/M&AAndrea Relly, Senior Associate, Corporate/M&AAlexandra Stocker, Associate, Corporate/M&AMark Cagienard, LL.M., Partner, TaxDr David Schuler, LL.M., Senior Associate, TaxDr Dirk Spacek, LL.M., Partner, TMC and IPThomas Zweifel, LL.M., Senior Associate, Real EstateSarah Keller, Associate, EmploymentAline Steffen, Associate, Commercial