14 November 2017
Paragon and Gimv jointly acquire the majority in WEMAS, a leading German provider of passive mobile road safety equipment
Paragon and the Belgian investment company Gimv will jointly and as equal partners take control over German WEMAS from the current owner NORD Holding. Both Paragon and Gimv will hold approximately half of the shares, while the remainder will be held by the company’s management team under the leadership of CEO Markus Schwinn. Next to growing its core business in the German speaking region, WEMAS wants to expand into adjacent road safety markets and further grow its international business.
WEMAS Absperrtechnik GmbH (www.wemas.de) was established in 1971 and has grown into a full-range provider of certified passive mobile road safety equipment, including protective barriers, delineators, base plates, warning lamps and traffic cones. The company supplies both wholesalers and roadwork safety service providers serving the road safety, infrastructure and construction markets, predominantly in Germany.
The company operates in a growing market. WEMAS is well placed to benefit from this growth thanks to its innovative and high-quality product and value-added service offering, including the highest number of certified road safety products in the industry and a wide range of customised products.
In the coming years, the company intends to further grow its passive mobile safety business in Germany and internationally. Moreover, the company wants to explore further growth into adjacent road safety market segments, potentially through acquisitions.
About WEMAS
WEMAS is the market leader in Germany for integrated, certified solutions of road barrier technology. Strategic business fields comprise intelligent traffic guidance systems/guidance, traffic signposting, construction site and workplace safety. With our more than 200 employees, we generated a turnover in the middle double-digit million range at our various locations in Germany last year.
About Paragon
Paragon is one of the leading independent private equity firms in Europe with approx. €650 million of equity under management. Paragon works closely with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth and operational excellence. The investment portfolio covers various industries and currently comprises 8 companies. Paragon was founded in 2004 and is based in Munich, Germany. For further information please refer to www.paragon.de.