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Delticom: Unfilled vacancy

Staff changes are in the air at Delticom AG, the on-line tyre sales organization. In a communiqué dated end October, the Prime Standard-listed concern announced that executive board member Sascha Jürgensen wished to resign from the board in agreement with the Supervisory Board – No successor has yet been mooted. Delta’s executive board now has four members – Andreas Prüfer, Philip von Grolman, SusannDörsel-Müller and ThierryDelesalle.

SKW Metallurgie: a short romance

The SKW Stahl-Metallurgie Holding AG, steel manufacturer has lost its CFO. Sabine Kauper, an executive board member since 2014, unexpectedly tendered her resignation from the post at the end of October, citing personal reasons. CEO Kay Michel finds herself alone at the helm of the the SDax-listed concern with Kauper continuing for an interim period in a consultative capacity. Since joining the company, Kauper worked together with Michel towards making the SKW Group profitable again. The hard times that the company had fallen on were blamed on former CEO Ines Kolmsee presently being sued for damages. Kauper, who has been on the Supervisory Board since 2009 changed the management team after Kolmsee left. SKW was obliged to publish a profit alert last August because the company was again in difficulty.

Stabilus: Expertise in the Supervisory Board

With the departure of Nizar Gjoussaini in October, the winds of change have been blowing through the Supervisory Board of Stabilus, supplier to automobile manufacturers. Ghoussaini joined the board by way of former major shareholder Triton, and his position was confirmed after the company’s stock market flotation in 2014.

Ghoussaini will be replaced by Ralf-Michael Fuchs. A graduate in management engineering, Fuchs has held a variety of managerial and senior executive management posts with machine tool manufacturer Dürr AG, including that of CEO in the Measuring and Process Systems division .

Udo Stark will remain as chair of the Supervisory Board with Stephan Kessel and Joachim Rauhut as vice-chair.

Kilian Kerner: New position as CFO

Fashion maison Kilian Kerner AG has broadened its executive board. Stefan Rassau has been appointed CFO to the Entry Standard-listed company, and will work together with CEO Stefan Ober at the sharp end in guiding the company. Rassau, a graduate in engineering has held high profile positions in the fashion business with such companies as Calvin Klein Europe and Esprit. In addition, Kilian Kerner AG states that Rassau has gathered experience in the field of strategic consultancy, working with the Roland Berger studio. In Kilian Kerner, Rassau’s tasks will include implementing the resolutions of the last shareholders’ meeting including reducing capital and increasing capital in cash up to a maximum volume of 2.5 million Euros.

Grammer: Growth by takeovers

In taking over the Reum group at the end of October, auto interior producer Grammer AG acquired specialisation in surface refinement, metal working and joining technology. In a communiqué Grammer states that its recent acquisition posted a turnover for 2014 of approximately 130 million Euros. No information was forthcoming as to the cost of the takeover. SDax-listed Grammer intends to finance the transaction through existing credit lines and expects that the takeover will boost its turnover by at least 25 percent over the coming 5 years.

Klöckner: extension of its market position

Through its American company MDax-listed Klöckner& Co SE, has purchased American steel transformer American Fabricators of Tennessee. After broadening the base of its product and services in the US, the steelmaker has proceeded to introduce its steel working on the American market. This is expected to give Klöckner more clout in creating production values for complex items of worked steel. In a note, Klöckner states that American Fabricators is highly profitable with a monthly turnover of some 30 million dollars. The newly acquired company will be consolidated from the fourth quarter of 2015. The group has not divulged the amount of the transaction.

Twintec: synergy and more OEM

Twintec AG, the distributor of vehicle exhaust gas treatment products, has taken over Kontec GmbH a provider of OEM development services. This takeover will enable Twintec to expand its OEM business with a forecast increase in turnover for next year of 55 – 60 percent. Furthermore, according to Twintec, this new synergy will bring about a cut in costs in 2016 of 1.5 million Euros, and lower investment expenses by approximately 0.5 million Euros.

Erlebnis Akademie: TheDax-listed great outdoors

Erlebnis Akademie AG who claims to provide accommodation with nothing to hinder your enjoyment of nature has set its sights on getting listed on the Munich stock exchange. The company, with its four tree-top itineraries in the Black Forest, the Bayerischer Wald, the isle of Rügen and at Lipnonad Vitavou in the Czech Republic, set up on a total investment of approximately 23.5 million Euros is expecting its first listing in m.access on 9 December. The 687,708 shares to increase capital can be subscribed up till the end of November at €7.50 per share. If all the new shares are subscribed, the company’s coffers will be 5.2 million Euros richer, a sum that Erlebnis Akademie AG has earmarked in part to fund the construction of other treetop itineraries in the Saar, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Erlebnis Akademie’s 2014 turnover was 5.8 million Euros with an EBIT of 0.4 million Euros. Up till 2018 the company expects turnover to continue rising at around 16 percent per year. The 1,375,416 existing shares are distributed among the company founders, management and various minority shareholders.

Hornbach: Family sale

The SDax-listed company has announced that the Hornbach entrepreneur family is placing a million bearer shares of the Hornbach Holding AG & Co KGaA. DIY market group. It is believed that half of the shares purchased in 2014 by former business partner Kingfisher plc came from the family. The private placement amounts to 6.25 percent of the share capital. After this transaction approximately 44 percent of the KGaA will still be owned by the Hornbach family – 16 million shares worth 48 million Euros.