Pava Partners has advised Fabmatics Holding GmbH (Fabmatics), a leading international semiconductor specialist based in Saxony, on the sale of its entire shares to SCIO Automation Group (SCIO). The shares of Fabmatics were held by Süd Beteiligungen (SüdBG), the founding shareholders Dr. Steffen Pollack, Lothar Andritzke, and Manfred Jähnert. Wachstumsfonds Mittelstand Sachsen (WMS) held a subparticipation in the SüdBG shares. With the sale, Fabmatics will strengthen the cleanroom segment within the SCIO Group in the future. The change of ownership paves the way for sustainable growth of Fabmatics and completes the succession process of the Fabmatics founders.

Founded in 1991, Fabmatics works for almost all well-known chip producers worldwide. The company is headquartered in Dresden, Germany, and has a site in Utica, USA. Fabmatics is one of the leading providers for the automation of material flows in high-tech environments, especially in the semiconductor industry. It automates intralogistics processes in semiconductor factories, semiconductor process plants and other high-tech production environments. In particular, the systems integrator has a strong market position in the modernization of 200-millimeter semiconductor fabs worldwide and provides cleanroom material flow solutions from a single source that ensure a more efficient, faster and safer production flow in a semiconductor fab. Fabmatics generates sales of around 45 million euros and employs around 300 people.

The new owner SCIO is an international end-to-end automation platform. Its mission is to successfully support companies on their way to Industry 4.0. SCIO includes more than ten medium-sized company brands with a total of over 1,100 employees at more than 30 locations in eight countries worldwide, making the Smart Factory a reality for global players and hidden champions in a wide range of industries.

SüdBG and WMS had joined Fabmatics in 2014 to secure succession and promote further growth, while the three founding shareholders remained involved.

“Together, we have developed Fabmatics into a leading player in the automation of the semiconductor industry. We are now handing the company over to carefully selected new hands. We are convinced that with SCIO at its side, Fabmatics will benefit from international networking and continue its extraordinarily successful development,” says Dr. Steffen Pollack, founding shareholder of Fabmatics.

“The Pava Partners team actively participated in shaping this next step and confidently guided us through the process – through their in-depth market knowledge and keen interest in our company, we have found a true partner for the future. This is a great gain for the company and us shareholders,” explains Gunter Max, Managing Director of SüdBG.

Fabmatics GmbH, headquartered in Dresden, Germany, is an experienced specialist in the automation of material flows and handling processes in semiconductor fabs, semiconductor process plants and other high-tech production environments. Founded in 1991, the company has been successfully implementing customer-specific automation projects in the semiconductor industry for more than 30 years. The range of services includes a modularly designed product range of hardware and software for the automation of handling, transport and storage processes as well as solutions for product identification and localization. Systems such as mobile robots, robotic cells, storage under the cleanroom ceiling, RFID components and much more ensure a more efficient, faster and safer production flow in the fab.

Fabmatics GmbH, including its subsidiary Fabmatics USA Inc. in Utica (New York), operates worldwide and currently employs around 300 people. Fabmatics GmbH is a member of the worldwide industry association SEMI, the high-tech network Silicon Saxony e.V. and the AND Automation Network Dresden.

Süd Beteiligungen GmbH (SüdBG) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) and has been supporting medium-sized companies for more than 50 years with customized equity and equity-related solutions in the context of succession planning, growth financing and shareholder changes.

As one of the leading investment companies in the German-speaking region and a long-term investor, SüdBG has supported over 70 companies in the past 10 years with around 600 million euros and a broad network in sustainable corporate development.

The WMS Wachstumsfonds Mittelstand Sachsen is an initiative of the Free State of Saxony and regional credit institutions and has supported more than 40 Saxon companies in implementing their growth strategies since 2005. In early 2020, the WMS entered its third generation of funds. In addition to the savings banks, the investors now include Sächsische Aufbaubank, Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen and Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Sachsen. The current fund volume amounts to M€ 85.

SCIO Automation Group is an international end-to-end automation platform with the mission to successfully support companies on their way to Industry 4.0. As a system integrator, SCIO automates production and logistics processes. As an innovator, SCIO develops value-added and customized automation products in the areas of Autonomous Mobile Robots, Software, Cleanroom as well as Food Intralogistics and Industrial Labeling. SCIO includes more than ten medium-sized company brands with a total of over 1,100 employees at more than 30 locations in eight countries around the world, which implement the Smart Factory for global players and hidden champions in a wide range of industries.