Rödl & Partner advised life-science company Sartorius in the acquisition of the purification specialist BIA Separations

Nuremberg / Paris / Ljubljana, 16 October 2020: Life-Science company Sartorius from Göttingen, Germany was advised by Rödl & Partner on the acquisition of the Slovenian purification specialist BIA Separations (BIA). Sartorius was comprehensively advised by a specialized interdisciplinary team from Rödl & Partner under the leadership of partner Christian Hellbardt on Financial and Tax Due Diligence, as well as tax, accounting and selected legal matters of the transaction structure.

The Sartorius Group, as one of the internationally leading partners of biopharmaceutical research and industry, prevailed in a bidding process and will integrate BIA Separations into its subgroup Sartorius Stedim Biotech. The transaction volume is EUR 360 million, of which 240 million will be paid in cash and 120 million in shares of Sartorius Stedim Biotech.  Additionally, earn-out payments dependent on results were agreed on for the next five calendar years. The transaction is subject to the customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of 2020.

BIA has invented and commercialized the unique CIM (Convective Interaction Media) monolith chromatography technology. In addition, BIA Separations offers analytical technologies for process monitoring and optimization. At its headquarters in Ajdovščina, Slovenia, BIA Separations employs a workforce of about 120 people.

About Sartorius

The Sartorius Group is an internationally leading partner of biopharmaceutical research and the biopharmaceutical industry. The Lab Products & Services division focuses on innovative laboratory instruments and consumables for research and quality assurance laboratories in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies and academic research institutions. The Bioprocess Solutions division contributes to the safe and efficient production of biotech drugs and vaccines with a broad product portfolio focusing on single-use solutions. The Group achieves double-digit annual growth rates on average and regularly complements its portfolio by acquiring complementary technologies. In fiscal year 2019, the company generated sales of around EUR 1.83 billion. At the end of 2019, more than 9,000 employees were working for customers around the world at the Group's about 60 production and sales sites.

Advisors to Sartorius Group

Rödl & Partner Germany

Christian Hellbardt (Head of Transaction Services), Nuremberg, Project Lead – Financial

Isabelle Pernegger, Partner (Transaction Services), Nuremberg – Financial

Harald Reitze, Partner (Transaction Services), Nuremberg – Legal

Florian Kaiser, Partner (Transaction Services), Nuremberg – Tax

Dr. Alexandra Giering, Partner (Transaction Services), Nuremberg – Legal

Micha Riehlein, Senior Associate (Transaction Services), Nuremberg – Financial

Dr. Melanie Köstler, Associate Partner (Transaction Services), Nuremberg – Tax

Dr. David Shirkhani, Senior Associate (Transaction Services), Nuremberg – Legal

Thomas Rattler, Partner (Advisory Services), Nuremberg – Financial

Rödl & Partner USA (Rödl Langford de Kock)

Eckart Nürnberger, Senior Counsel (International Tax), Nuremberg / New York – Tax

Rödl & Partner France

Laurence Cuillier, Associate Partner (Advisory Services), Paris – Legal

Timotheus Tangermann, Associate Partner (Tax Law), Paris – Tax

Rödl & Partner Slovenia

Leon Zivec, Director (Advisory Services), Ljubljana – Tax & Financial