Healthcare specialist SHS Capital acquires Majority Stake in Life Science Robotics Company ESSERT

• SHS Capital has acquired a majority stake in the Baden-Württemberg-based robotics company ESSERT GmbH
• ESSERT develops intelligent automation solutions for a wide range of applications with a focus on the pharmaceutical, life science and general industrial sectors
• The company's core product is the ESSERT MicroFactory, a modular production platform for the automation of low-volume, high-mix products

Tübingen / 10.08.2023

With the investment in the company ESSERT GmbH from Baden-Württemberg, SHS Capital has already completed the fourth transaction from the new SHS VI fund generation, which was launched in 2022.

Founded in 2012, the company is a provider in the field of flexible robotics. Right from the start, ESSERT strategically focused on production areas that are confronted with increasing product individualization. The company's automation solutions are extremely flexible and can be quickly and easily adapted for new products.

In contrast to the competition, which relies on large machines with high throughput and low variation, ESSERT has a clear unique selling point with its highly specialised and individualised automation platform. As a result, the company has strong growth potential for the production challenges of the future and benefits from its many years of expertise in the areas of robotics, software and process competence.

Renowned customers from the highly regulated pharmaceutical and life science industry have been trusting on ESSERT products for years. In particular, the so-called ESSERT MicroFactory, an intelligent and modular production platform, serves the high requirements of the customers very well and provides them with a suitable solution approach for the production challenges of the future, for example in the area of precision medicine.

"We are delighted to have SHS on board. We will be able to benefit from SHS's long-standing sector expertise and wide network in the healthcare sector to expand our customer base and further accelerate growth," says ESSERT's CEO Christopher Essert, who will continue to hold a significant stake in the company alongside SHS after the transaction.

"ESSERT is a prime example of the focus of our newly launched SHS VI fund generation. As an established, medium-sized company that anticipated the challenges of tomorrow's production in the pharmaceutical and life science sectors early on, it perfectly addresses the current trend in the industry and has the opportunity to establish itself as a European market leader," explains SHS Partner Dr. Cornelius Maas.

About Essert GmbH:

Founded in 2012, the robotics specialist is an innovation leader in the field of flexible, modular and scalable automation and is headquartered in Bruchsal, Germany. The company develops highly standardised robot automation modules which, paired with various process modules, form the ESSERT MicroFactory, a scalable production platform with a clear focus on low-volume / high-mix production. With advanced robotics technologies, ESSERT supports customers in the pharmaceutical and life science industry as well as customers in the general industry in the challenges of producing increasingly individualised products.

Further information at: www.essert.com

About SHS Capital:

SHS Capital is a private equity investor founded in 1993 that invests in healthcare companies in Europe. The focus of the investments is on expansion financing, shareholder changes and succession situations. "Building European Healthcare Champions" is the investment philosophy according to which SHS finances and develops portfolio companies. The German investor takes both minority and majority stakes. The national and international investors in SHS funds include pension funds, funds of funds, foundations, family offices, strategic investors, entrepreneurs and the SHS management team. The equity or equity-like investment of the AIF is up to € 40 million. Volumes in excess of this can be realised with a network of co-investors. In its investment decisions, SHS attaches great importance to the consideration of ESG aspects and has therefore committed itself to the guidelines of the UN PRI. SHS is currently investing from its sixth fund, which was launched in 2022 and has a volume of ca. € 270 million. 

Further information at: www.shs-capital.eu

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Press contact:
Sarah Stelzer
SHS Gesellschaft für Beteiligungsmanagement mbH
Bismarckstraße 12
72072 Tübingen
sas@shs-capital.eu