We are an industrial holding company with steady growth, which originates from acquisitions as well as the organic development of our group companies.
Entrepreneurs with long track record
We started building VTC from the mid 1990ies. At that time we were one of the first private equity firms in Germany, investing external capital mostly from high net worth individuals. Since 2004 we are able to live our dream: by investing our own equity, we became entrepreneurs ourselves. This allows us to take a long view concerning VTC and its group companies. Unlike a private equity investor, we have no exit focus.
Holding with added value
As sparring partners for the top management of our group companies we provide support in strategic discussions or selected projects. Our group companies are fully independent of each other, and the holding does not provide any central functions for the group. We emphasize the importance of flexibility and quick decision making.
Professional acquirer
Our strong experience and solid financial background (our holding is fully equity financed) makes us a trusted partner for corporates or entrepreneurs in divestment processes. Due to our lean structure we can take quick decisions and offer flexible deal structures. Being entrepreneurs ourselves helps us to understand the motivation and emotions of private sellers.
Strong corporate values
Our team has grown organically over the last 30 years. The resulting company culture is based on strong values, which we carry into our group companies. We rate the long term impact of our actions higher than short term financial results. An investment in a company is also a commitment from our side towards customers, employees and financing partners.
Susanne Fehre has been part of the VTC team since 2023. She supports the management as well as the Wertcontor team as an assistant in all administrative and commercial matters.
Ms. Fehre previously worked as an assistant to the board of directors of a medium-sized family business in Munich. She gained further experience at a subsidiary of Unicredit, for which she worked as an executive assistant for more than ten years. Ms. Fehre has an education as a nurse.
Mira Has
Assistant
Mira Has has been part of the VTC team since 2024. She supports the management as well as the investment team in administrative and commercial matters.
Previously, she worked as an executive assistant at a family office with focus on the real estate sector. She gained further experience as a team assistant and sales support at an expanding German investment company. Mira Has has an education as office communications clerk.
Philipp Härtel
Investment Manager
Philipp Härtel is with VTC since 2020. He works on transactions as well as portfolio management tasks and screens potential investment opportunities and markets.
Before joining VTC he worked in the M&A team of Harris Williams in Frankfurt, where he was involved in buyside and sell side mandates. Moreover, he gained previous experience at Gimv, KPMG and ING Corporate Finance.
Philipp holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Econometrics and Operations Research from Maastricht University, Netherlands as well as a Master of Science degree with focus on Corporate Finance from the Rotterdam School of Management, Netherlands.
Andreas Joha
Investment Manager
Andreas Joha joined the investment team of VTC in 2021. He works on transactions as well as portfolio management tasks and screens potential investment opportunities and markets.
Previously, he spent several years at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Munich advising private equity clients on buyside and sellside transactions.
Andreas received a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration with a major in Finance & Accounting from Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany, and a Master of Science in Finance with a major in Corporate Finance from Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden.
Jürgen Leuze
Managing Partner
In the early years of VTC Jürgen worked on a number of industry roll ups and held management positions in portfolio companies. Since then he has responsible for many transactions and gained broad experience in the industrials and renewables space. Jürgen is in charge of Baettr Holding GmbH.
Before his time at university he worked as a trainee for HypoVereinsbank AG in Munich. He is an active shareholder in the Leuze family business.
Jürgen holds a business degree (lic.oec.HSG) from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Stefan Leuze
Managing Partner
Stefan has overseen a number of VTC‘s transactions in Germany and Switzerland, mostly in the mechanical and plant engineering businesses. He is in charge of Sesotec GmbH and JK Group.
Before joining VTC Stefan was partner in a turnaround consulting firm where he also took on interim management positions. He started his career as a trainee at HypoVereinsbank AG and later worked for Bain & Company in Munich and London.
Stefan serves as a board member of the Leuze Group.
He has a business degree from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich.
Dr. Thomas Robl
Managing Partner
Before co-founding VTC in 1992 Thomas had worked for IMM Industrie Management München, back then one of the first private equity firms in Germany.
During his time at VTC Thomas applied his long experience at numerous transactions. In the early years of VTC he initiated and implemented a number of industry roll-ups and took on executive positions in portfolio companies. Thomas co-founded one of the leading German private equity fund-of-funds and today is a member of the company’s supervisory board.
Thomas holds a PhD (Dr.rer.nat.) in physics from the Technische Universität Munich and an INSEAD MBA, France.
Magdalena Simonji-Elias
Finance Director
Magdalena Simonji-Elias joined VTC in April 2024 as Finance Director. She is responsible for finance, taxes, treasury and consolidated financial statements at holding level.
Previously, Magdalena Simonji-Elias worked for many years in auditing at one of the Big Four companies. She was responsible for the audit financial statements of listed companies as well as of the large medium-sized companies.
Magdalena Simonji-Elias holds a degree in business and economics from the University of Hohenheim and successfully passed both professional examinations as German Certified Public Accountant and tax consultant.
Nicole Weihrauch
Assistant
Nicole Weihrauch has been working for VTC as an assistant since 2023. She supports the management and the investment team in divers administrative and commercial matters.
Prior to VTC, she worked for a renowned Private Equity company as assistant. She gained further experience in the international business department of a leading internet platform as well as in various departments of Dresdner Bank.
Nicole completed an apprenticeship as bank clerk and has a business degree from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich.
Dr. Ulrich Wolfrum
Partner
Since 2000 Ulrich has worked on numerous transactions at VTC. In addition he chaired strategic projects and add-on acquisitions at portfolio companies. He is responsible for deal sourcing at VTC and is the contact person for investment banks and M&A advisors.
Ulrich started his career at A.T. Kearney in Munich and Dusseldorf. There he focused on efficiency programs and strategy development in the consumer goods, retail and energy sectors.
Ulrich holds a business degree and a PhD in business from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich.
Shareholdings
Baettr Holding GmbH
Baettr is a leading component supplier for the wind industry. The company is specialized in the serial production of large cast products for on- and off-shore markets incl. CNC-machining, metal finishing as well as subassembly offerings according to customer specifications. The international footprint with three foundries, two machining and two surface treatment facilities in Europe and Asia is ideally positioned to serve its customers worldwide.
FRIWO AG is an internationally operating systems provider developing, producing and marketing high-performance, high-quality hard- and software solutions along the electrical drive train. FRIWO’s main market segments are e-mobility, household appliances and tools, medical equipment and industrial applications. Based on a global manufacturing and sourcing footprint, FRIWO is able to deliver leading edge technology at highly competitive prices.
Hürner Luft- und Umwelttechnik is a leading manufacturer of plastic fans as well as components and equipment for handling industrial process air. Within the field of industrial process air, HLU’s products are focussed on applications in the area of corrosive and aggressive exhaust air. HLU’s main end customer industries include the semiconductor, galvanic, chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as laboratories and the food and beverage industry.
JK Group is a worldwide leading manufacturer of devices for the tanning, fitness, and beauty industry. At the Company’s headquarter in Windhagen (Germany), JK develops and produces devices under the brand names “Ergoline”, “Beauty Angel”, “Sun Angel” and “Wellsystem”. The fields of application include cosmetic tanning, red light and near infrared applications for skin care as well as dry water massage.
Sesotec develops and manufactures machines and systems for the detection and separation of contaminants, for product inspection and for the sorting of material flows. Product sales primarily focus on the global food, plastics, pharmaceutical, wood, textile, and recycling industries. Sesotec’s global market leadership is based on a high competence in a wide range of technologies. The leading facility for design, development and manufacturing is located in Germany. Sesotec’s export quota amounts to over 50%.
We are constantly looking for new investments for further growth. Due to our lean decision making processes any new investment opportunity will be analyzed quickly by our team. We have earned a reputation for finding creative solutions suited for every new transaction. Since we invest our own money, we think long term and do not focus on exit strategies.
We are looking for companies which fulfill the following criteria:
Sector:
We have no sector focus. In the past we have done transactions in manufacturing, services and wholesale.
Size:
Our group companies range from EUR 90m to EUR 240m in sales. Even with substantial growth potential investments should have revenues of at least EUR 10m.
We also look for add on acquisitions for our portfolio companies which can be smaller.
Investment amount and regional focus:
We are looking for majority stakes but will also consider a qualified minority. We invest equity tickets of up to EUR 50m per deal, in case of larger transactions we would work with a partner.
Our regional focus lies on Germany, and neighbouring countries.
Infographic: Circular Economy - Plastics Industry in Transition
The plastics industry is undergoing a transformation. The shift to a circular economy is in focus and this has significant implications: Society's attitude towards plastics is changing,....
Infographic: Circular Economy - Plastics Industry in Transition
The plastics industry is undergoing a transformation. The shift to a circular economy is in focus and this has significant implications: Society's attitude towards plastics is changing, politics is reacting with new regulations and laws, and the plastics industry is faced with the challenge of creating the conditions to meet its customers' demand for products made entirely or partly from recycled materials.
The complexity of the topic "plastics cycle" is shown in the following infographic. It clearly shows that the willingness to contribute to solving the problem exists in many forms and shapes. It also shows the EU targets for packaging waste recycling by 2030, depending on the material type, and that there is still a long way to go to meet the demand targets for plastic packaging made from post-consumer recycled material. PET is presented as a prime example of a functioning circular economy. Finally, the infographic shows at the end the main factors why plastic recyclates have not been used sufficiently to date and what solutions there are to increase the recyclate share in the future.
Address
VTC GmbH & Co. KG
Promenadeplatz 12
D-80333 München