The most important customer of the engineering services provider is Škoda Auto. GPEF II fund managed by Genesis Capital completed within a short timeframe another acquisition. One of the most active private equity funds became the new owner of Swell, spol. s.r.o., a company focused on applied research and development in the automotive industry.
Swell was established in 1993 and has since then successfully grown to reach the top among companies focusing on applied research and development in the automotive sector in the Czech Republic. The Company’smost important long-term customer, Škoda Auto, cooperates with Swell on construction projects and development of new components and prototypes. Swell also cooperates with multiple other clients, such as Iveco, Hella, Continental, Bosch or Honeywell.
“Swell is a prosperous company, with more than a hundred of highly qualified employees, concentrating on applied research and development. Our decision to invest in the Company was further supported by the spectrum of high profile clients cooperating with Swell.” explainedJan Tauber, Managing Partner of Genesis Capital. He added that the Company has great potential for further growth and that Genesis is prepared to support the development through additional acquisitions.
GPEF II fund has acquired 100% in Swell from the two former founders and owners, who have decided to fully dispose from their shareholding and management positions in the Company.
“To leave the company we have been building for twenty years was not an easy decision to make,”said Lubomír Drašar, former co-owner of Swell, “However, the references of Genesis Capital and the competence of the management with whom we have cooperated in Swell for a long time are a guarantee that the Company will continue delivering top services to its customers with the same quality as in the past. Furthermore the plans for development under the new owner should ensure future growth.”
A newcomer in the Company’s management at the position of the CEO is Lucie Baleková. Her goal is mainly to oversee the realization of the outlined growth plan. Lucie Baleková will benefit from her extensive experience in top management positions of numerous companies, mostly in the automotive sector. The new executive director of Swell is Petr Havlík, a former head of sales and marketing. The two will also jointly assume the positions of the two Board Members of the Company.
About Swell, spol. s.r.o.
Swell, spol. s.r.o., was founded in 1993 and quickly became successful in providing services in applied research and development for automotive industry in the Czech Republic. Today, the Company deals with CAD/CAE services, numerical simulations, testing, prototyping and tooling. It employs over 120 employees, mostly designers, testing engineers, constructers and prototyping specialists. The Company is headquartered in Hořice, where it has completed a construction of R&D and production center.
Among its clients are top companies in automobile industry, such as Škoda Auto, Continental, Bosch and Iveco.
About Genesis Capital s. r. o.
Genesis Capital s. r. o. offers financing for development and growth of small and medium-sized companies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Through private equity funds it operates, Genesis Capital has supported more than 30 companies, many of which have thanks to this partnership became the top in their respective field. Genesis Capital secured more than 2 billion crowns for development of Czech and Slovak companies to date. Since 1999, Genesis Capital managed three private equity funds, with a cumulative size of nearly 100 million Euros. The current fund, GPEF II, was founded in 2009 and has a size of 40 mil. EUR. GPEF II currently holds shares in the following companies: Profimedia CZ, Servodata, VYDIS, KS Klima-Service, JRC Czech, HSW Signall, AZ KLIMA, GTH catering, Roltechnik, Sieza and 3070.