IMAP M&A Consultants AG has advised Heidolph Instruments, a leading global manufacturer and system provider of laboratory solutions, on its sale to ATS Corporation, a publicly traded Canadian company.

“With a comprehensive product range and a strong reputation established over 80 years, Heidolph will be a strong addition to our ATS Life Sciences business,” said Andrew Hider, Chief Executive Officer of ATS Corporation.

Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Schwabach, Germany, Heidolph is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of equipment for evaporation, stirring, automation, shaking and mixing, liquid handling, and other crucial laboratory solutions. With around 250 employees at four locations in Germany, the USA, South Korea and China, Heidolph generated annual sales of around EUR 50 million in recent years.

ATS Corporation, headquartered in Canada, is a leading global provider of automation solutions for key industries, including life sciences, consumer goods, electronics, food and energy. Founded in 1978, ATS employs about 7,000 people at 65 production sites in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania and realises sales of approximately USD 3 billion.

Following a series of long-term investments, a temporarily strained economic environment led to liquidity bottlenecks at Heidolph and consequently the filing of an application for the opening of insolvency proceedings at the end of May 2024. Dr. Harald Schwartz from SRI Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, Nuremberg, was appointed as the preliminary insolvency administrator.

“The aim was to ensure the transfer of Heidolph's business operations as quickly as possible and to secure as many jobs as possible in the long term. We achieved this goal in just under three months. We would like to thank IMAP for their professional and committed support in this highly complex M&A process,” adds Dr. Harald Schwartz from SRI Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft.

The IMAP team exclusively advised Heidolph in all phases of a structured M&A process up to a successful closing.