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EMERAM invests in Garderos GmbH and supports the company in its next growth phase
Munich (DE), 10 June 2024 - Funds advised by EMERAM have acquired a majority stake in Garderos GmbH (Garderos), a provider of ruggedised router solutions for secure data communication and optimal connectivity in harsh environments. EMERAM is one of the leading growth investors for medium-sized companies in the German-speaking region.
Garderos was founded in 2002 as a spin-off from Siemens AG and is based in Munich, Germany. Building on the experience gained from a large number of projects, Garderos has developed into a market-leading systems supplier capable of delivering large quantities of ruggedised routers with proprietary, application-optimised software to operators of critical infrastructures (energy networks, traffic monitoring) and telecommunications companies worldwide. The robustness, reliability and long service life of the routers guarantee customers a high level of security and the long-term availability of the products a high level of investment protection. Garderos is able to implement customised solutions quickly and flexibly, and its own Garderos Router Management System ensures that even large router fleets can be managed efficiently and securely.
Hermann Knauer, CEO of Garderos, said: "We have already achieved great success and high growth rates in recent years and have convinced our customers of the quality and, in particular, the reliability of our products. We are now at the beginning of a new growth phase with the increasing digitalisation, especially in the energy industry. We are confident that in EMERAM we have found a partner who will provide us with the best possible support to maximise our additional growth potential and keep our company on track for long-term success. On behalf of the entire company, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our former major shareholder for the excellent cooperation. We are delighted that Dr Hinder will remain on board as a shareholder and member of the Advisory Board”.
Dr Ruprecht Puchstein, Principal at EMERAM, said: "We are very pleased to support Garderos as part of our business development partner approach over the next few years and to make a significant contribution to the digitalisation of critical infrastructures. Our team has in-depth expertise in business models based on high-tech products with a strong software component and will support the management as a partner in the further development of the company. Garderos is a perfect fit with our investment strategy. The company has positioned itself as a quality leader in an attractive, high-growth niche. The acquisition underlines our ability to identify outstanding companies in interesting niches and to become a preferred growth partner through our business development approach”.
EMERAM was advised by Rautenberg & Company (commercial), Noerr (legal), FGS (tax) and A&M (financial). Garderos and its shareholders were advised by Jones Day (legal).
Garderos is a provider of ruggedised router solutions that use a particularly robust combination of software and hardware to ensure optimal router connectivity even in harsh conditions such as heat, dust or humidity. This capability is particularly important in the telecommunications sector, but also in the digitisation of critical infrastructure such as energy networks and traffic monitoring.
Garderos delivers customised routers and uses Garderos Router Management to enable cost-optimised zero-touch installation and secure provisioning of installed routers with the latest customer requirements and security-relevant updates. This makes Garderos the perfect partner for the efficient roll-out of small to very large router fleets for customers with the highest quality requirements.
EMERAM is one of the leading investment managers for medium-sized companies in the German-speaking region. Funds advised by EMERAM provide more than 650 million euros of capital for the development of growing companies. The portfolio includes companies from the technology/software, value-added services and new consumer goods sectors. EMERAM acts as a long-term business development partner for its companies and promotes the sustainable growth (organic and inorganic) of the portfolio companies. In addition, the company focuses on the implementation of holistic ESG concepts.
The portfolio currently comprises eight platform holdings with a total of more than 2,500 employees. The companies continuously achieve double-digit organic sales growth. In addition, more than 30 add-on acquisitions have accelerated growth and enabled international expansion.