Brockhaus Capital Management acquires particle measurement specialist Palas

Karlsruhe / Frankfurt am Main, 06. December 2018 – Brockhaus Capital Management AG (BCM), an independent technology holding focused on investments in innovation and technology leaders, becomes new majority shareholder of particle measurement specialist Palas GmbH. Based in Karlsruhe, Palas develops technologically leading high-precision devices for measuring, characterizing and generating particles in air, particularly in the field of fine dust and nanoparticles. Following a successful private placement end of 2017, this investment by BCM marks another milestone towards its planned IPO.

BCM has acquired a majority stake in Palas GmbH as part of a succession arrangement. Co-founder and current majority shareholder, Leander Mölter, is leaving the company following the transaction. Dr. Maximilian Weiß, long-time CEO and Head of R&D and Production, who is also a minority shareholder, will continue to hold a significant minority stake in the firm and manage it as CEO.

With its unique optical measurement technology and more than 20 active patents, Palas is the global technology leader in high-precision devices for measuring particles in air. The product portfolio includes certified fine dust and nanoparticle measurement devices, aerosol spectrometers and -generators as well as associated systems and software solutions. With over 270 clients from more than 60 countries – including BASF, Siemens, BMW and Bayer – Palas’ products are particularly in demand in the public sector, pharmaceutical industry, medical technology, manufacturing industry, automotive industry as well as laboratories and cleanrooms. The market for particle measurement technology enjoys strong growth due to an increasing global awareness for air pollution related health risks and the tightening of regulatory standards that results from it.

“Our successful succession arrangement paves the way for us to continue our extraordinary growth story”, explains Leander Mölter, founder and resigning shareholder of Palas. “In choosing our new majority shareholder, it was decisive for us that BCM is not only very familiar with the requirements of fast growing medium-sized technology leaders and capable of supporting us through its broad network of industry experts, but also ideally positioned as a technology holding, unlike conventional financial investors, to be our partner for the long term because of the absence of fixed investment horizons”, adds Mölter.

“The global market for particle measurement technology is currently going from strength to strength, not least because of growing awareness of severe health hazards triggered by air pollution and the tighter regulation introduced in response”, says Dr. Maximilian Weiß, CEO of Palas and responsible for the development and launch of Fidas, the company’s current flagship device for measurement of fine dust. “The unique technology know-how and outstanding network of our new majority shareholder BCM will enable us to forge ahead with our successful expansion, not least by conquering new international markets and additional areas of application for our products”, adds Weiß.

“As an experienced technology investor who played a key role in the success stories of firms such as Wirecard and 360T, we are convinced that Palas as a global technology leader is in a class of its own”, comments Marco Brockhaus, CEO of BCM. “The company offers a truly unique optical technology for particle measurement and is ideally positioned within a fast-growing niche driven by global megatrends. As such, Palas offers not only exceptional dynamics coupled with high profitability, but also first-class long-term growth prospects. For us, the acquisition of Palas is a key milestone in the build-up of the BCM portfolio and the path to our planned IPO”, adds Brockhaus.

About Palas
Palas GmbH (https://www.palas.de) is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-precision devices for generating, measuring and characterizing particles in air. With more than 20 active patents, Palas develops technologically leading and certified fine dust and nanoparticle measurement devices, aerosol spectrometers, -generators and -sensors as well as associated systems and software solutions. Palas was founded in 1983 and has approximately 70 employees who are based at the firm’s headquarters in Karlsruhe.

About BCM
BCM AG (https://www.bcm-ag.com) is focused on long-term investments in technology driven and innovation led growth companies in the German-speaking region. In this segment, the team behind BCM has established a longstanding successful track record. The company invests in fast growing firms with proven strengths in innovation and aims at achieving a sustainable value appreciation of its portfolio companies. As a technology holding in form of a stock corporation, BCM offers investors the opportunity to participate in this value creation.

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