Luther advises US group Matthews on acquisition of OLBRICH and R+S Automotive

OLBRICH and R&S Automotive have combined annual revenues in excess of $100 million. Closing of the transaction is subject to certain regulatory authority approvals, which is expected in early July of 2022.

Headquartered in Bocholt, Germany, OLBRICH is a production and intelligent equipment manufacturer, specializing in purpose-built rotary processing equipment, including equipment used in the manufacturing of dry and wet electrodes for lithium-ion batteries and components for hydrogen fuel cells used in electric vehicles, with additional strong positions in Specialty & Pharma, Packaging and Home & Décor.

R+S Automotive, also headquartered in Bocholt, Germany, is a specialty engineering services provider of automation, plant and tooling concepts for automotive manufacturing companies around the world.

About Matthews International Corporation

Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQ GSM: MATW)  is a global provider of industrial technologies, memorialization products and brand solutions. The Industrial Technologies segment designs, manufactures, services and distributes high-tech custom energy storage, marking, coding and industrial automation technologies and solutions. The Memorialization segment is a leading provider of memorialization products, including memorials, caskets and cremation and incineration equipment, primarily to cemetery and funeral home customers that help families move from grief to remembrance. The SGK Brand Solutions segment is a leading provider of packaging solutions and brand experiences, helping companies simplify their marketing, amplify their brands and provide value. The Company has approximately 11,000 employees in more than 26 countries on six continents that are committed to delivering the highest quality products and services.

About OLBRICH

OLBRICH GmbH was founded in 1949 and together with its brand Polytype Converting®, the machine builder has today become one of the world's leading companies in the field of production machinery and equipment for the manufacture of web-shaped products. Battery foils, labels, release materials, sustainable paper and packaging materials as well as wallcoverings, floorcoverings, adhesive tapes and technical textiles are exemplary products manufactured on the lines.

OLBRICH has a full value chain including engineering and manufacturing as well as state-of-the-art technical centers in Bocholt (DE) and Fribourg (CH). Today, about 450 employees belong to OLBRICH GmbH with headquarters in Bocholt (DE) and further locations in Hamburg (DE), Fribourg (CH) and Jiangyin City (CN).

About R+S Automotive

R+S Automotive GmbH is one of the leading companies in the manufacturing of machines and tools for the production of interior and exterior components for the automotive industry, such as door panels, dashboards or rear shelves. R+S Automotive has a fully integrated value chain including engineering and production as well as a technical center on an area of 1,100 sqm as a guarantee for comprehensive technical services and customer-oriented development.

Today, about 350 employees belong to the R+S Group with headquarter in Bocholt (DE), and further subsidiaries in Holoubkov (CZ), Jiangyin (CN) and Comstock Park, MI (USA).

On behalf of Matthews:

Luther, Corporate / M&A: Dr Thomas Kuhnle (Lead Partner), Dr Axel Mühl (Partner), Michael Ströbel, LL.M. (Senior Associate), Rares Holonec (Associate), Falco Rohrberg, LL.M. (Associate), Dominique Kurtz (Associate)

Luther, IP & Copyright Law: Carsten Andreas Senze (Partner), Felix Hielscher (Associate), Max Flad (Associate)

Luther, Restructuring & Insolvency: Gunnar Müller-Henneberg (Partner), Salvatore Calcagno (Senior Associate)

Luther, Employment Law / Company Pension: Dr Marco Arteaga (Partner), Lars Christian Möller (Counsel), Sebastian Walthierer (Senior Associate)

Luther, Antitrust Law: Dr Sebastian Felix Janka, LL.M. (Partner), Tamara Hefner (Associate)

Luther, Real Estate: Iris Glönkler (Counsel), Annkathrin Egerer-Tratt (Associate)

Luther, Commercial & Distribution Law, Product Liability/Product Compliance: Dr Steffen Gaber, LL.M. (Partner), Sandra Schüle-Bausch (Senior Associate), Robert Burkert (Associate)

Luther, Capital Markets, Banking & Finance: Christoph Schauenburg, LL.M. (Partner), Stefan Jokel (Senior Associate)

Luther, China Desk: Thomas Weidlich, LL.M. (Partner), Dr Yuan Shen (Counsel)

WengerPlattner: Dr Oliver Künzler (Lead Partner), Martina Braun (Counsel), Jean-Francois Mayoraz

PRK Partners: Jan Kohout (Lead Partner), Shiyang Zhang (Senior Associate)