IK Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK X Fund has signed an agreement to acquire Driescher GmbH (Moosburg and Eisleben) (“DRIESCHER” or “the Group”), a leading German manufacturer of high-tech medium and low voltage switches and switchgears. IK is acquiring its stake in DRIESCHER from the family shareholders, who will all be reinvesting. As part of the transaction, the co-founders and co-shareholders of the Czech subsidary, DRIBO, spol. s r.o. (“DRIBO”), will be selling their shares and reinvesting into the Group. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.
Established over 85 years ago, DRIESCHER is a leading provider of critical grid components and a reliable partner to many large municipal utilities, industrial customers and railway operators. The Group offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, necessary for the expansion of energy grids and the modernisation of existing infrastructure.
DRIESCHER excels in providing SF6-free, air-insulated components designed to enhance protection and safety, serving as essential infrastructure for managing power flows and voltage conversion within energy grids. With a reputation for innovation and deep engineering expertise, the Group offers tailored solutions to meet a wide range of customer needs.
As a trusted partner to many organisations, DRIESCHER plays an important role in advancing the energy transition by improving grid reliability, expanding capacity, supporting the integration of renewable energy and fostering the shift towards broader electrification. Today, the Group has approximately 500 employees, based across four production sites in Germany and the Czech Republic.
With the support of IK, DRIESCHER aims to strengthen its core business by: engaging both existing and new customers; driving continuous product innovation; expanding operations in Germany and entering into other international markets; as well as enhancing aftersales services. The Group may also consider value-accretive bolt-on acquisitions.
Doris and Christoph Driescher, Family Shareholders of DRIESCHER, commented: “With a history of over 85 years, we take pride in the legacy built by our grandfathers, our fathers and the dedicated employees of DRIESCHER. Together with the management team, we are thrilled to partner with IK as DRIESCHER enters the next stage of its development. IK has convinced us with its expertise, values, cultural alignment and vision for the future of our Group, making this the right step to initiate the succession for DRIESCHER.”
Frank Hegenbart and Thomas Lehner, Managing Directors at DRIESCHER, added: “Our leadership team is very much looking forward to the partnership with IK. We are confident that, with the experience of our employees and the support of IK’s team, we will continue our path of sustainable growth with technologically leading products and excellent service for our steadily growing customer base.”
Dalibor Bartoš and Tamara Ottichová, Managing Directors at DRIBO, commented: “DRIBO and DRIESCHER have a joint history of almost 30 years and this new partnership represents a significant milestone in the Group’s development. We are looking forward to working with the team at IK to accelerate future growth.”
Anders Petersson, Managing Partner at IK Partners and Advisor to the IK X Fund,said: “DRIESCHER has established itself as a leading supplier of critical components of energy grids and is well-positioned for growth, driven by long-term market trends that include the need to modernise aging electrical grid infrastructure, enable the integration of new renewable energy sources and expand capacity to meet the rising demand for electricity. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the family shareholders of DRIESCHER for choosing IK to be the Group’s new partner. We value the confidence placed in us and are very much looking forward to working with the management team in this next phase of DRIESCHER’s growth.”
For further questions, please contact:
IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
Phone: +44 (0)7787 558 193
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com
