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Press Release: Automation specialist successfully changes shareholders: Nachfolgekontor consults GEAL for its shareholders’ sale to ELIQUO

Wetzlar/Rüsselsheim/Bad Homburg, 07 March 2022. ELIQUO WATER GROUP GmbH, a specialist in municipal water and wastewater technology, has acquired all shares in the Gesellschaft for Elektro-, Automatisierungs- and Leittechnik mbH (GEAL mbH) as part of its succession planning. The transaction process on behalf of GEAL was managed exclusively by the M&A consulting firm Nachfolgekontor. The previous owners, Christian Schön and Michael Weindel will continue to run the business during the transition and handover process to ensure a smooth transition.

As a company, GEAL specialises in the automation of water and wastewater facilities as well as the remote monitoring and control of transport and infrastructure networks. GEAL, based in Rüsselsheim in Germany, was founded in 1996 by five former employees of the electrical company AEG. In addition to planning, delivery, programming, assembly, installation and commissioning of control and process control systems, the GEAL services include coordination and management of suppliers and a 24/7 on-call service.

GEAL Managing partners are Christian Schön and Michael Weindel. Christian Schön is the last of the company’s initial five founding partners with four of the five former founders having already retired. Michael Weindel joined the company in 2001. With the view to a manage a successful change in ownership, Schön and Weindel sell the company with a share deal. The acquisition of GEAL will complement the existing ELIQUO company portfolio.

ELIQUO has been established on the market as a business group since 2014 and is one of the largest German municipal plant constructors for water and wastewater, with several decades of experience. With more than 500 employees, ELIQUO bundles the European activities of SKion Water GmbH in municipal water and wastewater treatment.

"The long-term perspective of our employees and customers is particularly important to us," says Christian Schön, Managing Director at GEAL. "Through a controlled transition and the extremely good working relationship and understanding with ELIQUO during the transaction process, we look forward to a future with plenty of new and exciting opportunities.”
Working with ELIQUO, we were able to find the perfect partner for GEAL’s future and continued operations," explains Sebastian Wissig, project manager at Nachfolgekontor with Philipp Spelkus adding "The synergies of both companies and the level of compatibility became obvious during the very early meetings. All factors contribute to the provision of a stable foundation on which to support the clients of both companies perfectly."

Gauke Reitsma, CEO of ELIQUO, explains further: "GEAL is a perfect complement to our automation division. GEAL's customers, in turn, can benefit from our range of services in the field of mechanical and electrical engineering and construction. In addition, digital networks are becoming increasingly important within the infrastructure of municipal water and wastewater plants. GEAL's in-depth expertise of digitalisation enables ELIQUO to expand our in-house competences in this field. This collaboration is a very positive development for the future. We are very pleased to welcome GEAL to the ELIQUO group."


Nachfolgekontor

Nachfolgekontor GmbH, in association with sonntag corporate finance GmbH, is one of the leading M&A consulting firms for mergers & acquisitions (M&A) in the German SME sector. The almost 30-strong team of experts exclusively accompanies their clients through the entire sales process. "Our mission is to ensure a lifetime's work," is the company's self-image. Clients benefit from a unique approach which protects the identity of their company to a particularly high degree. Due to the excellent access to the German SME sector, Nachfolgekontor and sonntag corporate finance have also established themselves as strong partners alongside well-known national and international large companies and investors in acquisitions.

ELIQUO WATER GROUP

Established in 2014, ELIQUO bundles the activities of SKion Water in the field of municipal water, wastewater and sludge treatment in Europe. With more than 500 employees and over 30 years of experience with EPC Contracting, ELIQUO’s products and services cover THP, vacuum degassing of digested sludge, sludge drying, 3rd & 4th treatment step, energy efficiency projects and nutrient recovery solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of water utilities and protect our most valuable resource: water.

www.eliquowater.com

SKion Water

Skion Water is a technology and solution provider, and a plant manufacturer, in both municipal and industrial water and wastewater technology founded by entrepreneur Susanne Klatten. SKion Water invests in innovative water technology companies. ELIQUO is one of its portfolio companies among others like Ovivo, EnviroWater Group, Paques, Ecopreneur, ADASA, inCTRL and Matten.

www.skionwater.com

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ELIQUO
Nina Reppich
Senior Marketing & Communications Manager
Seedammweg 55
61352 Bad Homburg
+49 151 12 55 76 89
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The automation specialist for water and wastewater facilities GEAL becomes part of ELIQUO WATER GROUP.

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Niki Court
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