Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek advises Leclanché S.A. on the acquisition of intellectual property rights and know-how from ads-tec
With a team led by the Frankfurt-based Partner Dr. Günther M. Bredow, Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek advised the listed Leclanché S.A. from Switzerland with respect to the acquisition of intellectual property rights and know-how for battery energy storage systems and battery management software (BMS) from ads-tec GmbH. The acquisition has been effected against consideration in cash and listed shares in Leclanché S.A. in a volume of EUR 5.5m in total.
Leclanché is a manufacturer of industrial energy storage systems. The company is specialized for the production of patented titan-lithium-ion battery cells. The company’s battery energy storage systems (BESS) deliver a range of applications for inter alia industrial plants (peak shaving), solar and wind parks and grid operators, but also for home storage. Leclanché furthermore develops mobile energy storage systems for the use e.g. in the transport sector (hybrid buses, trams and ferries) and for industrial machinery. The company employs about 120 employees and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The company is headquartered in Yverdon-les-Bains (Switzerland) and operates its production in Willstätt (Baden-Württemberg).
By the acquisition from ads-tec GmbH is strengthening its product range for stationary storage applications and its manufacturing capacity in Switzerland. This complements the recent acquisition of Trineuron, focused on transport applications. These acquisitions will allow Leclanché to control all aspects of the technology from cells manufacturing to complete system design, modules assembly and installation. Thus, the company can improve its competitive position and margins while providing optimized best-in-class solutions to its customers, for the broadest range of stationary and transport applications.
ads-tec based in Nürtingen near Stuttgart is a manufacturer and supplier of high-performance battery systems and complete storage solutions. The company employs some 240 employees at two sites in Germany. ads-tec has been a partner of Leclanché for many years and has developed state-of-art modules, BMS and master control systems using Leclanché’s cell technology for stationary applications. These battery storage systems have been used in customer applications for many years and have proven their quality in demanding applications.
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek comprehensively advised Leclanché on the structuring, negotiation and implementation of the transaction. As to issues under Swiss law, Leclanché has been advised by Niederer Kraft & Frey, Zurich.
Advisors Leclanché
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek:
Dr. Günther M. Bredow (Project Leader, Corporate/M&A), Frankfurt
Dr. Anton Horn (Intellectual Property Rights),
Astrid Luedtke (Intellectual Property Rights), both Düsseldorf
Finn-Michael Liebscher (Corporate / M&A),
Alexander J. Thum (Corporate / M&A),
Klaus-Weinand-Härer (Tax), all Frankfurt
