Schalast advises Faber-Castell on the acquisition of the traditional company Robert E. Huber
Frankfurt am Main, 3 November 2023
Faber-Castell has acquired the company Robert E. Huber GmbH. Robert E. Huber is a renowned manufacturer of precision mechanical products and components, specialising in the production of high-quality writing instruments and accessories for global brands. Faber-Castell was advised on the acquisition by a Schalast team led by M&A partner Kristof Schnitzler.
"We are delighted to welcome Robert E. Huber to the Faber-Castell Group," says Stefan Leitz, CEO of Faber-Castell. "The acquisition is an important step for us to strengthen our position in the market for premium writing instruments and to expand our range of high-quality products. We are convinced that the cooperation with Robert E. Huber will help us to achieve our long-term goals."
Supervisory Board member Charles Graf von Faber-Castell, who was responsible for the premium business for many years, emphasises: "This acquisition is a clear commitment to the strategic importance of premium writing. We are proud to have found a partner in Robert E. Huber who will help us to deepen our expertise in the field of precision engineering and further strengthen our innovative spirit in the area of exclusive writing instruments."
Huber Managing Director Marco Frei: "What Switzerland is for watches, Germany is for writing instruments. As a manufactory, Robert E. Huber combines traditional production methods from jewellery making with the most modern manufacturing processes. With these competences, we are a valuable partner in the production of premium writing instruments and accessories."
Ms Nicole Klingel: "In Faber-Castell we have found an ideal partner who, like us as a family business, lives the same values and quality as a matter of course in its dealings with its employees, customers and suppliers on a daily basis. For over 30 years, this has united us in our intensive cooperation on numerous projects. We are looking forward to the journey together."
"We have always had very successful product launches thanks to Huber's exceptional manufacturing precision and production variance," says Stefan Leitz. With the takeover, Faber-Castell not only wants to increase its vertical integration, but also further improve flexibility and speed in product development and production. "The merger is a win-win situation for both companies," says Leitz. "We see a lot of growth potential in the integration of the Huber company - as well as in expanding the customer portfolio of the existing OEM business and embedding the successful Huber brand Otto Hutt in our exclusive writing instruments portfolio."
Kristof Schnitzler, Lead Partner on the transaction, adds: "Being able to act for a company like Faber-Castell is not something that can be taken for granted and we were delighted to be able to accompany Faber-Castell on this important transaction. For us as a medium-sized law firm with a strong M&A focus, it is a privilege to work for a global market leader like Faber-Castell. Because this is where "made in Germany" and brand tradition shows itself at its best."
Faber-Castell
Thomas Wagner (General Legal Counsel)
Advisor Faber-Castell
Schalast (Frankfurt/Main): Kristof Schnitzler (Partner, Corporate/M&A) (Lead), Dr Matthias Geurts, (Partner, Tax) Yeghaneh Salamati-Ditz (Associate, Corporate/M&A), Florian Frisse (IP/IT, Frankfurt am Main), Markus Ruhmann (Partner, Real Estate, Hamburg), Lorenz Bock (Real Estate, Hamburg)
Background information
Schalast partner Schnitzler came into the mandate through a personal contact with Faber-Castell CFO Constantin Neubeck. Both know each other from the M&A study programme at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. The decisive factor for the mandate was that Kristof Schnitzler and his team have the necessary M&A expertise and were able to offer a correspondingly customised overall package.
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About Faber-Castell
Faber-Castell is one of the world's leading companies for high-quality products for writing, drawing and creative design as well as decorative cosmetic products. With over two billion pencils and coloured pencils per year and around 6,500 employees, Faber-Castell is the most important manufacturer of wood-cased pencils in the world. Today, the company is represented in over 120 countries and has its own production facilities in ten and sales companies in 22 countries worldwide. Founded in 1761, Faber-Castell is one of the oldest industrial companies in the world and has been owned by the same family for nine generations. The company owes its leading position on the international market to its traditional commitment to the highest quality, environmental responsibility and the large number of product innovations.
About Robert E. Huber
Robert E. Huber GmbH has been a family-run, medium-sized company based in Königsbach for over 80 years. The European market leader specialises in the manufacture of high-precision products and components and produces exclusive writing instruments and accessories for numerous global brands in the luxury and consumer goods industry. All manufacturing competences along the production chain are established in-house. With this vertical integration, Robert E. Huber has a unique selling point and can therefore realise the highest design standards. The company was founded in 1935 and employs around 50 people. In 2006, the traditional Pforzheim brand Otto Hutt was taken over and successfully continued.
About Schalast
Schalast is one of the leading commercial law firms in the German financial center of Frankfurt am Main. Further locations of the law firm are Berlin, Hamburg, Duesseldorf and Stuttgart. Schalast advises ambitious companies from Germany and around the world. The currently more than 80 lawyers are organized in the practice groups Employment Law, Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, Dispute Resolution, IP, IT & Media, Tax, Private Clients, Real Estate, Energy, Infrastructure & Telecommunications and Healthcare & Life Sciences. The notary's office forms a further focus. The firm is a member of the international Tier 1 network Multilaw and is thus able to assist clients worldwide.
Schalast has supported social projects for years through pro bono work as well as donations and wants to contribute to the topic of sustainability. Therefore, the law firm has derived internal standards derived from the United Nations (UN) Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) and introduced an SDG Officer. Schalast has been certified as climate neutral since the beginning of 2020 and is a member of the initiatives Climate Change Now, and The Chancery Lane Project. www.schalast.com
Press contact in this matter
Kristof Schnitzler
Mendelssohnstraße 75-77
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Telefon: 0 69 / 97 58 31-0
Fax: 0 69 / 97 58 31-20
E-Mail: [email protected]