Dental Direkt settles succession with HANNOVER Finanz

The equity partner HANNOVER Finanz has acquired a majority stake in the dental technology company as part of the succession plan. Dental Direkt GmbH reorganizes its shareholder structure with the support of the holding company and focuses on further growth. The founder and family entrepreneur Gerhard de Boer will remain associated with the company as a managing partner and will support the managing directors Marcel Brüggert and Marvin Kühme.

Dental Direkt GmbH, headquartered in Spenge, North Rhine-Westphalia, was founded in 1997 as a direct sales company for dental consumables. In the meantime, the family-owned company employs over 120 employees and acts as a full-service partner in the dental industry. In the production of zirconium oxide blanks, the company now holds the top position and is Europe‘s leading manufacturer. The portfolio also includes a wide range of other dental materials, CAD/CAM equipment and implant components. At its site in St. Annen, Lower Saxony, Dental Direkt GmbH also operates a milling center with an associated technology center on 1,500 square meters.

From the very beginning, founder de Boer has firmly anchored the idea of »the transparent production« in the company‘s strategy. Today, Dental Direkt GmbH is one of the most modern and automated production facilities in the dental industry, with a high degree of transparency and customer proximity. In addition to excellent product quality, great importance is attached to service, advice and delivery speed and reliability – which is appreciated by customers worldwide. The globally oriented company is growing dynamically and expects sales of around 30 million euros in the current fiscal year.

The HANNOVER Finanz Group acquires 64 percent of the shares in Dental Direkt GmbH. Gerhard de Boer, the founder and family entrepreneur, will retain a significant stake in the company and continue initially as managing director and later as an advisory board member. In addition, the two managing directors Marcel Brüggert and Marvin Kühme will also hold shares in the company in the future. The responsible Investment Manager at HANNOVER Finanz Christian Lömker says about the new investment:

»Dental Direkt is a great company that has grown strongly in the last few years. We know the dental market very well and are convinced of its growth potential. As partners of the founder and the management, we want to contribute to the long-term development and to further expand the market leadership nationally and internationally.«

 Goetz Hertz-Eichenrode, Spokesman of the Board of HANNOVER Finanz, comments: 

»The acquisition of Dental Direkt fits perfectly with the strategic orientation of HANNOVER Finanz‘s strategic focus on transactions in high-growth sectors. In recent years, our investments in Frey & Winkler, Atec and Moeschter, we have built up our experience and extensive network of entrepreneurs and experts in the medical technology sector, from which we have already benefited at Dental Direkt.«

 Gerhard de Boer thought about company succession at an early stage: 

»I am delighted to have found in HANNOVER Finanz a highly experienced, partnership-based and long-term oriented investment company, which will work with the Dental Direkt team to implement its growth strategy over the next few years. As a minority shareholder I will continue to accompany the development of the company“,says the 60 year old founder of the company.«

About the HANNOVER Finanz Group – www.hannoverfinanz.de

Founded in 1979, HANNOVER Finanz has more than 40 years of experience as an equity partner for medium-sized companies. The private equity house with headquarters in Hanover and an office in Vienna is one of the first venture capitalists for the D-A-CH region in Germany and is an owner-managed investment company in its second generation. Well-known companies such as Fielmann, Rossmann and AIXTRON have realized their growth with equity capital from HANNOVER Finanz and made use of its entrepreneurial support. Since its foundation, the equity partner has completed over 250 projects and invested more than two billion euros. The main reasons for investment are growth financing and succession planning for solid medium-sized companie with annual sales of more than 20 million euros in annual sales. In addition to majority shareholdings, the HANNOVER Finanz Group is one of the few holding companies in Germany, the HANNOVER Finanz Group also acquires minority interests. The portfolio currently includes 35 companies.