ZAP-Mechanika is another company that Omikron Capital has invested in. The metalworking company was acquired from private owners. The investor wants to dynamically develop the company through sales development, expansion of processing capacity based on automation and expansion into new markets.
ZAP-Mechanika is a company from Ostrów Wielkopolski, specializing in metal processing, mainly heat and mechanical. Omikron Capital, which focuses on investing, among others into thriving industrial and service companies, acquired 100 percent of the company’s shares.
– We consider the purchase of ZAP-Mechanics a very great success. The company has been operating on the market for over 20 years. Negotiations began before the COVID-19 pandemic, so we had the opportunity to observe the company during the lockdown and the gradual unfreezing of the economy. This only confirmed our belief that it is a good investment, because the company did well in this period” – says Tomasz Firczyk, founder and Managing Partner of Omikron Capital. – ¬We only invest in stable companies with a specific growth potential. We are not a passive owner, but we actively engage in the functioning of portfolio companies and support them with our many years of experience. In the case of ZAP-Mechanika, we also have a clearly defined strategy for further development– he adds.
Increasing sales and expansion into new markets
The new owners of ZAP-Mechanika assume two or even threefold growth of the company in the next 5-7 years. This is to be helped by, among other things, expert support, investment in a new plant, and growth through acquisitions. The company currently employs approximately 140 people, and ended 2019 with an EBITDA of 9.7 million profit.
– At the beginning, we want to strengthen the management board and the sales department, significantly expanding it. The company has a modern, well-invested machine park with proprietary, unique systems. It also has a professional, experienced team and refined production processes. We appreciate all the company’s advantages, therefore we are constantly in touch with the previous owners, who will support us in the process of handing over the controls to the new management board in the near future, so as to continue all good practices – says Piotr Banaszkiewicz, Managing Partner at Omikron Capital. – We want to focus primarily on strengthening new areas and growth potential. Therefore, along with the increase in sales and expansion of the sales markets, we will consider building a new, fully automated plant that will increase production capacity. At the same time, we would like to point out that this will not result in any reduction in employment – he adds.
ZAP-Mechanika specializes in the production of machine parts, mechanical and heat treatment as well as metallographic research, mainly for the tool industry and power hydraulics. Most of his clients come from Western Europe. The company’s engineering staff and modern machinery park successfully enable offering services to other industries. At the beginning, the extension of the offer will cover the food, medical, automotive and energy sectors, and in the longer term, other industries.
– We hope that in parallel with the expansion of the company’s services aimed at new industries, the industry will start to accelerate after the crisis caused by the coronavirus. Lockdown experiences are likely to increase the importance of nearshoring as well. Companies whose supply chains were disrupted or interrupted during the freezing of the economy will seek greater diversification of suppliers. Especially when they previously ordered products, e.g. from Asia. Some of them will try to have suppliers closer to their plants to avoid problems in the future. This is a great opportunity not only for our company, but also for the majority of domestic industrial companies – predicts Piotr Banaszkiewicz.
A good time to invest
Despite the COVID-19 crisis, Omikron Capital does not intend to slow down and plans to carry out another transaction this year.
– The current situation causes a lot of uncertainty, but it is worth remembering that to some extent it is a permanent element of business. This is especially confirmed by the coronavirus, which changed reality very quickly and introduced new normality. The recent months also make it easy to verify which companies have stable foundations and are resistant even to very strong turbulences – says Tomasz Firczyk.Operating on the private equity market, we focus primarily on industrial and service companies from the SME sector. In addition to the purchase itself, we actively support our companies, including expert knowledge and experience gained in over 20 transactions. This is especially important now, when most companies, in order to remain competitive, must increase automation and adapt to new realities, and this requires appropriate actions and strategies that we provide. We treat each purchased company exceptionally and focus on quality, not the number of completed investments – he sums up.
Omikron Capital focuses on investments in family businesses where the founders want to withdraw from doing business or are looking for a business partner who will help them take the enterprise to a higher level. According to the Deloitte report “Private Companies – Challenges and Opportunities”, only one in four (26 percent) family businesses are prepared for succession in managerial positions. In such cases, the founders often look for partners to whom they could entrust the enterprise built over the years and monetize their life efforts.