A European private equity company, Ambienta, has acquired high-speed camera manufacturer Mikrotron. With the purchase, Ambienta plans to establish a new machine vision company, LakeSight Technologies, which will be formed of technology from Mikrotron and Tattile, which Ambienta purchased in 2012.
Ambienta’s end goal for LakeSight Technologies is a company with sales in the €40-50 million range and global sales reach. The aim is to overcome some of the issues smaller companies face – 90 per cent of machine vision suppliers have a turnover of less than €10 million – by establishing a European platform comprised of smaller synergic players that can share sales channels, management resources and investment programmes.
Tattile, based in Brescia, Italy, operates at 20 per cent EBITDA margin with revenues of €17 million in 2015, which is 50 per cent organic growth since the initial investment.
Mikrotron’s acquisition adds a leading portfolio of high-speed machine vision cameras, strong R&D capabilities, a blue chip customer portfolio and access to international distribution channels. Established 40 years ago by Bernhard Mindermann in Eching, Bavaria, Germany, Mikrotron generates €9 million in revenue and double-digit EBITDA margins.
Mauro Roversi, chief investment officer at Ambienta and lead partner on the transaction, commented: ‘The Mikrotron acquisition is a further step of Ambienta’s strategy to create a European leader in the machine vision sector.’
Giancarlo Beraudo, principal at Ambienta, added that further targets are under investigation in the machine vision market.
Christian Pilzer, managing director of Mikrotron, commented: ‘We are pleased to join this ambitious project promoted by Ambienta. We see in Ambienta and Tattile strong partners that can sustain Mikrotron in the continuation of its successful growth journey.’
Corrado Franchi, managing director of Tattile, added: ‘This acquisition is a further step in the development of a project started in 2012 with the re-launch of Tattile. We see in Mikrotron the opportunity to consolidate our presence in the European market and open new opportunities particularly in North America and Asia.’
The transaction was managed by Mauro Roversi (partner), Giancarlo Beraudo (principal) and Alessandra Dusi (associate), with the local support of Ambienta’s German team.
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