VM Industries (formerly Molex France), a Portfolio Company of H.I.G. Europe, Announces the Acquisition of Jokon
VILLEMUR-SUR-TARN – July 27, 2012 – VM Industries, an H.I.G. Europe-backed company specialising in the automotive connector market, has announced the acquisition of Jokon.
With production facilities in Bonn (Germany) and Folschviller (France), as well as a distribution office in Poole (United Kingdom), Jokon is the European leader in production and distribution of lighting systems for motor vehicles (campers, caravans, trailers, buses, agricultural and construction vehicles, etc.).
Marc Laisné, president of VM Industries explains: “The acquisition of Jokon reflects our desire to expand our product offer and position ourselves as a European and global player. We are very positive about the future growth of Jokon’s market, driven by a shift from traditional bulb lights to LED systems. Moreover, we are convinced of the potential synergies related to the cutting-edge know-how at VM Industries and the development of new products resulting from the merger of the two companies.”
Timothée Rambaud, investment director at H.I.G. Europe adds: “Our goal is to continue to grow through a series of acquisitions in France and Europe in order to position the group as a major player in connectors and lighting systems.”
About VM Industries
Founded in December 2009 on the former industrial facility of Molex France in Villemur-sur-Tarn, VM Industries specializes in the design and manufacturing of connectors systems for the automotive and railway industries.
About H.I.G. Capital and H.I.G. Europe
H.I.G. Capital is a leading global private equity investment firm with more than €8.5 billion of equity capital under management and a team of more than 225 investment professionals. Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, and San Francisco in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
H.I.G. specializes in providing capital to small and medium-sized companies with attractive growth potential. H.I.G. invests in management-led buyouts and recapitalizations of profitable and well managed manufacturing or service businesses. H.I.G. also has extensive experience with financial restructurings and operational turnarounds. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. invested in and managed more than 200 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 80 companies with combined revenues in excess of €12 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.hig.com.
H.I.G. Europe has a team of more than 40 investment professionals operating from its offices in Paris, London, Hamburg and Madrid. With 21 new investments completed since the beginning of 2011, H.I.G. is one of the most active private equity investors in Europe.