starkpartners consulting has successfully implemented the international investor search.

  • The buyer is a globally operating full-service provider in the field of electronics, development and manufacturing services
  • Creditors unanimously approve sale
  • Business operations will be fully continued, the location and all around 40 jobs will be retained

Halle (Saale), January 20, 2022. Ultraschalltechnik Halle GmbH has been restructured. On December 1, 2021, Kontron Electronics GmbH, a full-service provider in the field of electronics, development and manufacturing services from Frickenhausen in Baden-Württemberg, took over the Halle-based company as part of a transferring restructuring and integrated it into its own company.

Now the creditors’ meeting has also unanimously voted in favor of the execution of the contract. “We are very pleased about Kontron’s entry and the now formally completed investor process”, says lawyer and restructuring expert Ralf Hage from the supra-regional law firm AndresPartner, who has been supporting the company as general representative in self-administration since August 2020. In this context, he emphasizes the extraordinary circumstance that, thanks to the full continuation of the company in the ongoing proceedings and the successful sale to Kontron, a 100 percent insolvency rate is to be expected on the normal creditor claims. As a rule, the average insolvency rate in company insolvency proceedings in Germany is between three and five percent.

In addition to the support of all customers and suppliers as well as the loyalty of the workforce, the successful continuation of business operations despite insolvency and worldwide material shortages in the electronics sector is based to a considerable extent on the far above-average commitment of the managing partner Petra Wicher, who will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity in the future.

As part of the transaction, Kontron is taking over all assets of Ultraschalltechnik Halle, the location in Halle (Saale) including real estate and land, and is continuing business operations with numerous well-known customers without restriction. All existing 40 jobs will be retained.

Kontron emerged as the ideal partner for Ultraschalltechnik Halle through a structured investor process. The international investor search was conducted by the consulting firm starkpartners consulting GmbH from Meerbusch in cooperation with the tax and business consultant Jens Titze from Dresden. The seller and buyer have agreed to confidentiality regarding the purchase price and the economic terms.

“We would like to thank all key stakeholders, especially our employees, who made the current continuation solution possible in the first place”, says Petra Wicher. She is firmly convinced that, after the numerous investor discussions, the solution now found is the best in the long term for the Halle/Saale location and the employees employed there.

According to its own information, Kontron Electronics is expanding its previous EMS division with the integration of UST and intends to maintain the location in the long term and expand it in the future. It is part of the technology group S AG with 6,000 employees worldwide and locations in 30 countries.

Background:

Due to corona-related sales losses, Ultraschalltechnik Halle GmbH filed an application to open insolvency proceedings under self-administration at the beginning of August 2020. As expected, the responsible district court in Halle opened the insolvency proceedings under self-administration on October 1, 2020. In order to meet the complexity and legal challenges of the restructuring, the management was supported by lawyer Ralf Hage from the supra-regional law firm AndresPartner as general representative. The district court appointed lawyer Herbert Feigl as administrator, who monitored and constructively accompanied the continuation of operations and the restructuring process, also in the interests of the creditors.

Further information:

Ultraschalltechnik Halle GmbH (UST) is a partner for Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) – from development and design to the complete manufacturing of electronic assemblies, devices and systems. Since entering the market in 1992, UST Halle has developed beyond the Central German business location into a reliable EMS service provider. With the takeover solution, the business areas will be fully integrated into Kontron Electronics. This now employs almost 600 people at seven locations throughout Europe and offers its customers comprehensive solutions for individual electronic problems, from development and production of all batch sizes to extensive testing/test routes. Internet: www.kontron-electronics.de

 

AndresPartner Company sale Crisis Distressed M Electronics EMS EMS service provider German SMEs Kontron Electronics GmbH M S AG Ultraschalltechnik Halle GmbH