DPE Deutsche Private Equity acquires majority of technical nonwoven manufacturer Ziegler

• Fourth Investment of DPE Fund II
• Investment in Growth

With  headquarters  in  Achern,  Baden-Wuerttemberg,  Ziegler  is  a  market  leader  and  specialist manufacturer  of  technical  and  customized  premium  nonwoven  solutions  for  the  automotive,  as  well as the high-end furniture industry, with clients such as Audi, Mercedes, Vitra or Rolf Benz. The company employs  300  people  and  has  two manufacturing  plants  in Germany  (Achern  and  Lambrecht/Pfalz),  as well as one in Hungary and one in China. With  150 years of experience, Ziegler  today generates  sales of over  50  Million  Euros.  Ziegler  is  known  as  a  provider  of  customized solutions.  The  entire  team  is continuously working on the development of new niche applications.

“Given an annual  sales growth of  15  Percent, Ziegler  has  the  potential  to expand not only  to become European market  leader but also to become a visible global player”, comments Frank Mueller, a Partner of  DPE.   DPE  will  support  Ziegler  not  only  financially  but  will  also  act  as  an  advisory  partner  for  its ongoing  growth. As a first step for instance, DPE and Ziegler management have decided to invest in the expansion  of its manufacturing plants.

“We are delighted to have found DPE as a new partner. It seems as if at DPE, they really see themselves as   co-entrepreneurs”,  says  Dierk  Mohr,  Managing  Partner  at  Ziegler.  “Of  course  we  all  want  further growth  and expansion,  but  have  been looking  for a  partner,  that  has  realistic goals. And  that is what DPE offers.“