Dealmakers

Global: triple whammy

London magic circle firm Linklaters sealed three recent private equity deals in one day. In Canada, the firm advised investment firm Triton Partners on the sale of Dematic to AEA Investors and Teachers’ Private capital, the private equity arm of Canadian pension fund Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Dematic -- a materials handling and logistics automation company based in Luxembourg -- was previously part of steel and machine group Mannesmann, but then sold to Siemens. Triton acquired Dematic in 2006.
Linklaters also advised Swedish company Ambea on the sale of Carema Healthcare to Capio. Linklaters advised Triton and KKR on the €850m acquisition of Ambea in 2009.
And the firm also advised portfolio company Quilter on the bolt-on acquisition of Cheviot Asset Management. The combined group will have more than £12 billion of assets under management across 13 offices in the UK, Jersey and Ireland.

Japan: precision deal

London-headquartered law firm Simmons & Simmons – in association with Japanese legal practice TMI Associates – has advised Kanagawa-based technology business Kuroda Precision Industries on its acquisition of the Jena Tec division of Avingtrans. Kuruda designs and manufactures precision components and is keen to take advantage of Jena Tec’s similar operation in the UK, US, Germany and China.
The legal team was led in Tokyo by TMI partner Nobuyuki Watanabe and Simmons & Simmons Japan country head Jason Daniel, in London by corporate partner Ed Baker and in Germany by Frank Hollstein.

Czech Republic: pressure’s off

Pressurised vessels manufacturer Wothrington Cylinders -- part of the American Worthington Industries group – was  advised by Austrian law firm Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati (CHSH) on the sale of all its shares in Worthington Cylinders in Hustopece, Czech Republic, to the Frauenthal group. Worthington Industries – which has generated sales of $2.5 billion this year -- is one of the largest steel processing companies in North America, employing more than 10,000 people across 82 sites in 11 countries. Worthington Industries was advised by CHSH’s head of mergers and acquisitions Albert Birkner.
 
Germany: pioneering security

German internet innovator Robert Rothe and his shareholders were advised by Munich-headquartered firm Noerr on the sale of e-mail security company eleven. The Berlin company has been taken over by the worldwide-active Israeli internet security specialist Commtouch. Majority shareholder Mr Rothe will remain eleven’s chief executive and join the management of Commtouch. Mr Rothe is one of the pioneers of the German Internet industry, developing Networx and the Snafu brands in the 1990s. Corporate partner Christoph Spiering led the Noerr team.

France: channel hopping

New York-based law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher advised Groupe Eurotunnel on its acquisition of assets owned by failed ferry operator SeaFrance. The move was authorised by the French Competition Authority earlier this month as part of SeaFrance’s liquidation process. Eurotunnel -- the operator of the Channel Tunnel connecting the UK and France -- was chosen by the Commercial Court of Paris as the fittest bidder for three vessels and related assets previously owned by SeaFrance. Willkie advised Eurotunnel on the competition aspects of the deal with partner Jacques-Philippe Gunther leading the legal team.