FIMA concludes investor agreement

Under the agreement, Fontes will acquire FIMA Maschinenbau GmbH and become its new sole shareholder. This marks an important step in the company’s turnaround process. “We are very pleased that Fontes intends to take over all shares in FIMA Maschinenbau GmbH and maintain the legal entity. In this way, the economic foundation has been laid for the successful implementation of the insolvency plan required to relieve the company of its debt,” explains insolvency administrator Rauschenbusch. Dr. Serdar Ertong, Managing Director of FIMA Maschinenbau GmbH, who has managed the company for more than four years, is also glad: “The agreement is a significant milestone on the road to normality”.

Insolvency administrator Steffen Rauschenbusch emphasizes that creditors must now vote on the insolvency plan, which he will submit shortly to the district court in Heilbronn. However, he is confident that the insolvency proceedings can be brought to a successful close in the first quarter of 2022 following a positive vote by creditors at a discussion and voting date yet to be set by court.

Business operations continue despite the insolvency proceedings. Managing Director Dr. Ertong is proud that FIMA continues to be a key player in the market due to its existing expertise in compressor and blower engineering, manufacturing and service and is thus able with its engineering capabilities and excellent range of products to successfully find solutions for its customer needs. With an overall performance of around 20 million euros and 107 employees, a clearly positive result is expected in 2021. Order intake is also already well above budget. Just recently, the company commissioned two process gas compressors in India.

This development also attracted the attention of Fontes Mittelstandskapital GmbH, which is pursuing a long-term strategic interest with FIMA and intends to become involved in the company both financially and in terms of personnel. In this context, the Obersontheim site will remain the headquarters and manufacturing site of FIMA, which is reflected in the simultaneous acquisition of the company’s real estate.

“Together, we are creating an extremely powerful alliance with a long-term development horizon, which will allow FIMA Maschinenbau GmbH to concentrate fully on continuing to offer its customers a first-class range of products and services that is constantly expanding and improving,” Fontes Managing Director Christian Böcker is convinced.

About Fontes:

Fontes Mittelstandskapital GmbH and their team aim to support medium-sized companies in becoming sustainably successful and leading companies in their respective niches through innovation and digitalization. In addition to the many years of consulting expertise of the Fontes team and its network, Fontes brings an internationally active and very capital-strong family office as an additional partner.

About Steffen Rauschenbusch:

Attorney Steffen Rauschenbusch has been working as an insolvency administrator for more than 20 years. He is regularly appointed by numerous insolvency courts. Rauschenbusch is a founding partner of the nationally active law firm ERNESTUS Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, which specializes in insolvency administration and advising companies in crisis situations. Insolvency courts where the firm is active are Mannheim, Heilbronn, Darmstadt, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Landau, Ludwigshafen, Mosbach, Worms und Wiesbaden.