November 2014 – INDUS Holding AG has acquired a majority in MBN Maschinenbau‐Gruppe, Neugersdorf, from the three owners Ernst Lieb, Dr. Iris Kaden and Heiko Krause. Employing some 300 people, the medium‐sized company from Saxony develops and manufactures automated plants and machinery for vehicle assembly. Among the company’s main customers are the major German auto brands and their foreign subsidiaries and manufacturing joint ventures. MBN maintains distribution and service companies in Alabama (USA) and Changchun (China). The company achieved a turnover of € 45 m in 2013.

MBN benefits from th e ongoing trend towards a growing number of car models and the increasingly shorter model cycles in the automotive industry. Global competition and continued cost pressure will force the automotive industry to make considerable investments in manufacturing and assembly in the com ing decades.

Acquisition in the defined target segment  ʺautomation technologyʺ“These trends and the great development expertise of MBN guarantee continued growth as well as interesting and stable margins,” INDUS CEO Jürgen Abromeit said. “This acquisition will allow us to strengthen the automation technology segment, which is our fourth target segment besides life science, energy and environment/infrastructure.”

The core expertise of MBN is in chassis and unit asse mbly (the so-called “wedding”, when chassis, transmission and engine are inserted in the vehicle body) as well as in cockpit and front-end installation. MBN manufactures installation frames for all major car makers and has a global presence.

MBN founder Ernst Lieb assesses the sale as a measure to secure the future. “Today already, we generate over 70% of our revenues outside Germany - and this business is growing steadily. A long-term investor such as INDUS gives us additional financial strength to accelerate this gro wth even further.” All three managing partners retain a combined share of 25% in the company and will remain in charge of its business activities. The transfer of the shares is subject to anti-trust approval.

MARKUS Partners advised INDUS Holding AG on this transaction.

About MBN Maschinenbaubetriebe Neugersdorf GmbH – www.mbn-gmbh.de

The company was founded in 1991 and is since then firmly rooted with the location in Ebersbach-Neugersdorf. Building on the tradition of textile engineering, the company quickly established itself as a successful and reliable plant supplier – first in and around Saxony, later world-wide. The products find their applicatio n in the automotive, printing and packaging industry or in the railway industry. The company achieved a turnover of € 45 m in 2013.

About INDUS Holding AG – www.indus.de

INDUS, Bergisch-Gladbach, undertakes long-term investments in medium-sized manufacturing companies. The investment strategy is based on the acquisition of majority stakes in successful medium-sized companies and their ongoing further development. INDUS, listed in the German SDAX, only acquires industrial companies, so called “hidden champions”, which are active on interesting nic he markets and occupy a leading position within those markets. Approximately 7,260 employees generated a turnover of € 1.2 bn in 2013. The key segments of the investment portfolio cover the following sectors: construction/infrastructure, mechanical and plant engineering, vehicle engineering, metal processing and medical and healthcare technology.