BC PARTNERS & CPPIB (CANADA PENSION PLAN INVESTMENT BOARD) take majority stake in CERAMTEC

Private equity sponsor Cinven has entered into a definitive agreement to divest CeramTec, a leading German manufacturer of high-performance ceramics, to a bidding consortium led by BC Partners. The acquiring consortium also features significant equity participation from the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. The realization perfectly encapsulates the culmination of a highly successful holding period characterized by robust value creation and corporate transformation under Cinven's ownership. Throughout its tenure, the sponsor executed a comprehensive operational restructuring, streamlining the corporate framework from sixteen disparate business units into two core, hyper-focused segments: Medical and Industrial. In partnership with a newly appointed management board, including CEO Henri Steinmetz, Cinven drove aggressive organic momentum by deploying significant capital to expand manufacturing capabilities—notably through a major investment in the Marktredwitz medical plant—and targeting international expansion across the US and China. This organic trajectory was coupled with a highly accretive buy-and-build strategy. Throughout the competitive auction process, the sell-side was exclusively advised by investment banks Morgan Stanley and BAML. The transaction's closing remains strictly subject to customary regulatory clearances and is anticipated to finalize in the first half of 2018.

European private equity firm Cinven has reached a definitive agreement to acquire CeramTec from Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ROC). Representing the fourth investment deployed from Cinven’s Fifth Fund, the transaction remains subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to reach completion during the third quarter of 2013. For the seller, Rockwood Holdings, the divestiture is being executed as part of a broader strategic repositioning of the overall Group. The investment strongly aligns with Cinven’s deep sector expertise across both the industrials and healthcare markets. Partnering alongside CEO Dr Ulf Zimmerman and his experienced management team, the financial sponsor intends to actively support the company's expansion outside of its core European base, focusing specifically on scaling operations in North America and Asia through both organic initiatives and strategic acquisitions. The value-creation playbook further underscores a commitment to ongoing capital investments, including funding the critical plant expansion in Marktredwitz and supporting new product pipelines targeting LED lighting and semiconductor applications.