CFI advises Gantrex in the acquisition of ABS Consultor to expand port crane services
• Experts in the niche market of crane solutions
• Virtually digital acquisition process covering four countries
• Integral buy-and-build support by CFI with boots on the ground in Iberia and Benelux
About Gantrex
Headquartered in Belgium and with offices in the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, China, Singapore, India and the UAE, Gantrex is a global market leader with expertise in the production, distribution, installation and maintenance of high-quality crane rail solutions. In 2015, Gantrex was acquired by Argos Wityu, a pan-European investment fund with EUR 1 billion under management.
Gantrex’ acquisition of ABS Consultor
Gantrex’ strategy aims to strengthen customer relations by broadening its current portfolio with mechanical services and digital solutions. As part of this strategic plan, Gantrex sets out to acquire companies to accelerate the expansion of its services and geographical footprint. As a renowned crane services specialist in ports across Spain, Portugal and the south of France, ABS Consultor provided the perfect opportunity.
About CFI’s role
At CFI, our global reach with a local approach is part of our USPs, as we have offices across the world. After initial discussions with Gantrex on their M&A objectives, CFI started canvassing the European landscape and assessed the identified targets in order to pursue buy-and-build efforts in this region. Subsequently, CFI initiated contact, discussions and negotiations on an acquisition of the Spanish ABS Consultor. Although initially coordinated from our office in the Netherlands, we soon realised that we needed to expand the team with our local colleagues in Spain through CFI Portugal.
After agreement on terms, CFI coordinated the due diligence to successfully complete the transaction. In this exclusive process the day-to-day management team of Gantrex was supported by CFI in order to streamline the process and to minimise disruptions. The transaction was successfully closed on 20 January 2022.
Maarten Impens, CEO at Gantrex: “We immediately recognised a company which shares the same values in Gantrex. This is an exciting first step in the execution of our new strategic growth plan and we look forward to growing the business alongside ABS Consultor. We hired Jaap de Jong and João Santos and their team because of their international presence and in-dept sector knowledge. We are very pleased with the transaction outcome and CFI’s guidance throughout the process“.
Also commenting on the transaction was João Santos, Managing Partner at CFI: “We were proud to represent Gantrex in this transaction. It was a great pleasure to work with such a great company and lead them through this major milestone, in contemplation of the expansion of its services and its geographical footprint.”
If you would like to know more about how we work, our ability to execute international buy and build strategies, or our experience in the Machinery sector specifically, then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Related
This transaction was advised by:
Jaap de Jong
Partner, Managing Director
João Santos
Partner, Managing Director
Sebastiaan Renting
Vice PresidentOur latest transactions
Business Services
has been acquired by
Transaction details
Swedish HR and staffing expert Prodea has been acquired by Consolid
Food & Beverage & Agribusiness
have acquired
Transaction details
French bakery group Occipain (La Panetière) has been acquired by Arterris, UI Investissement and Crédit Mutuel Equity to fuel the next stage of its growth
Consumer Goods & Retail
and
have been acquired by
Transaction details
Asia Exchange, the biggest study abroad organisation for adults, and Edunation, an international student recruitment company, have been acquired by Keystone Education Group