IMAP advised the shareholders of Image Access GmbH, a global leader in the development, production, and marketing of specialized scanning and digitization solutions, on the acquisition of a majority stake by UnternehmensGut, a German investor and growth partner for medium-sized companies. Thomas Ingendoh and Rüdiger Klepsch, the former managing partners, will remain shareholders and continue in their roles for the medium term.

Founded over 30 years ago in Wuppertal, Image Access has established itself as one of the world's leading manufacturers of specialized scanning and digitization solutions in the B2B market, with a global sales organization and offices in the USA. The product portfolio is based on the in-house developed “Scan2Net” platform and includes large-format overhead and feed scanners, art and special flatbed scanners, as well as telecentric scanners for offline and inline quality inspection in industrial surface and production control.

With the new shareholder, Image Access plans to expand its international customer base and invest in new product categories and technologies. "The investment by UnternehmensGut as a long-term, financially strong partner enables us to strategically strengthen our market position and further accelerate our growth. We would like to express our special thanks to the IMAP team for their professional preparation, advice, and tireless efforts in making this future-oriented partnership with UnternehmensGut happen," said Thomas Ingendoh, Managing Director of Image Access.

"We see enormous potential, especially in the area of machine vision technology, as increasing automation and the use of artificial intelligence continue to drive demand for high-precision, telecentric scanning solutions," adds his fellow Managing Director Rüdiger Klepsch.

UnternehmensGut is a long-term SME investor that provides equity capital from German institutional investors through the Evergreen Fund “Mittelstand Deutschland 1” to established medium-sized companies in Germany. The fund supports companies in various situations, including succession planning, shareholder changes, and growth, through both minority and majority investments.

The IMAP team, consisting of Michael Knoll, Carl-Benedict Schmucker, and Sven Kantwill, exclusively advised the shareholders of Image Access throughout a structured M&A process, covering all phases up to the successful closing.