July 15, 2011
Acquisition of Stettler Sapphire AG
Stettler Sapphire AG, headquartered in Lyss, Switzerland, which has been a family-owned business throughout its history, has decided on a new ownership structure. All shares in the company will now be held by the newly formed Sapphire Holding AG. The majority shareholder of this holding company is the German industrial holding company Equita, with a significant stake still held by members of the current management team of Stettler Sapphire AG. Headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany, Equita is an industrial holding company with no affiliations to banks. It invests in successful midsized enterprises in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Investment targets must show solid financial structures, a strong market position with evident growth potential and a management team that is willing and able to achieve that potential. Equita is a product of the entrepreneurial tradition of the Harald Quandt family. It focuses on supporting internal and external growth of the companies in which it invests. Additional information is available at www.equita.de.
Stettler Sapphire AG has a workforce of 160 employees in Lyss and 250 at its subsidiary on Mauritius. It is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sapphire components for watches in the high-end and ultra high-end market segment. Additional markets are in the fields of optics, electronics and medicine. The company plans to continue supplying these markets in the future and further expand its market position. The entire current management team will remain with the company, and no jobs will be affected by this transaction. In addition to the headquarters in Lyss, the manufacturing location in Mauritius will also be retained and expanded further. For more information on Stettler Sapphire AG, visit www.stettler-saphir.ch.
With this change in the shareholder structure, the company’s Administrative Board has succeeded in finding a succession solution with which the company can face the future, thus laying an excellent foundation for the company’s sustainable development.
Contacts for this press release:
Equita Management GmbH
Dr. Michael Hönig
Telephone: +49-6172 9441-0
E-mail: michael.hoenig@equita.de
Jan C. Drewitz
Telephone: +49-6172 9441-226
E-mail: jan.drewitz@equita.de