Deloitte Corporate Finance Advisory acted as financial advisor to the Rausnitz family in the sale of Meopta – optika, s.r.o. to global investment firm Carlyle
About the transaction
A Czech-German cross-functional team of Deloitte provided full-scope sell-side services to the shareholders of Meopta, comprising M&A Lead Advisory as well as Financial, Tax and Legal Vendor Due Diligence services. The M&A Lead Advisory team was led by Jan Brabec (Partner) and Alexander C. Bielig (Managing Director), co-managed by Radek Ullrych and Christoph Madea, with support of Tomislav Prochazka, Matej Zoldak, Tamara Lorencova, Kristian Predojevic and Tim Kamper. Further, Goldman Sachs as Co-Financial Advisor and Dentons as Legal Advisor supported the transaction.
Meopta is a market-leading company with a long-standing tradition for developing, manufacturing, and assembling world-class optical, opto-mechanical, and optoelectronic products and services to the industrial, military and consumer markets.
“Having built this business with my late uncle Paul Rausnitz, and later with my son David, the legacy of Meopta is extremely important to me and my family and I am confident we have found the right stewards for its long-term growth and success”, said controlling shareholder Gerald Rausnitz.
Meopta’s CEO Alena Moore added. “We believe Carlyle, with its deep expertise in our sector and track record of growing and internationalizing leading European technology business like ours, is the perfect partner of Meopta on the next step of our journey. We look forward to working together to accelerate our plans for growth and international expansion.”
The transaction is a landmark deal in the industry, with Meopta being well positioned to leverage from strong growth such as the demand for its optical subsystems for complex wafer inspection in the semiconductor market, and other sectors.
Carlyle brings substantial sector experience to the table, acquired TESCAN ORSAY HOLDING in December 2022, and aims to capture the opportunity of growth through more built-to-spec use cases by further strengthening R&D, and through expanding international presence.
The Rausnitz family is going to retain a minority stake in Meopta. The transaction is still subject to the approval of the respective authorities with closing expected within the next few weeks.
About the Client
Founded in 1933 and headquartered in Prerov, Czech Republic, Meopta is a leading provider of high-precision optical, opto-mechanical, and opto-electronic solutions for semiconductor, life sciences, advanced industrial and defense customers. Meopta’s capabilities include concept design and development, production of optical components, high-precision assembly, state-of-the-art clean room sub-system assembly, and metrology including measurement and testing of components and sub-systems. The company has more than 1,700 employees, including over 300 engineers, at its 140,000 square meters manufacturing facilities in Prerov, including 30,000 square meters of clean rooms.
About the Buyer
Carlyle is a global investment firm with 29 offices across 5 continents and more than 2,200 professionals worldwide. The company manages $ 381 billion in assets, spanning 3 business segments and 562 investment vehicles. Carlyle’s Global Private Equity business is one of the largest and most diversified platforms, with $ 164 billion assets under management and over 290 active portfolio companies.
About Deloitte – Corporate Finance Advisory
As leading independent M&A advisors, we provide M&A deal execution and financial advisory services to large and mid-market corporations as well as to private equity firms globally. We offer financial advice and insight at every stage of a transaction – from consideration of strategic options to transaction execution, be it an IPO, acquisition or divestment, restructuring or fast track disposal. We pride ourselves in our independent advice to our clients.
Deal contacts: Jan Brabec, Partner (Czech Republic): + 420 6066 30260, jbrabec@deloittece.com; Alexander C. Bielig, Managing Director (Germany): +49 151 58000 698, abielig@deloitte.de