Dutch mouldmaker presses ahead with MBO

Dutch mouldmaker presses ahead with MBO

The management team at Dutch mouldmaker Axxicon Mould Technology has acquired the company from its owner, Mikron Technology. The E27.5 million deal was assisted by private equity firm Gilde Participaties. Axxicon was acquired by Mikron in 2001. The divestment is in line with Mikron’s strategy to refocus on core activities.

Axxicon’s CEO, Arno Wendrich, said: “We are pleased to have regained our independence.” Axxicon is a leading producer of standardised moulds for products such as CDs and smart cards, but it has recently announced its intention to produce more customer specified moulds in areas such as pharmaceutical and medical devices.

The company has three production facilities in Europe, an R&D centre in the Netherlands and sales offices for optical media moulds in Hong Kong and the US. Turnover in 2003 was E55m.