SWELL

In 2014, GPEF II invested into SWELL, one of the leading providers of services in the field of applied research and development and testing for the automotive industry in the Czech Republic. The Company was established in 1993, and the range of its services included construction services, CAD/CAE and numerical simulations, development, prototyping and special components testing.

The investment represented another example of generational succession, when GPEF II acquired the stakes of the original founders who intended to exit the Company. SWELL continued in development with the original management team strengthened by a new CEO with extensive experience in the automotive industry, who also co-invested alongside GPEF II.

Under the ownership of GPEF II and under the leadership of the strengthened management team, a new development strategy has been implemented, enhancing the processes, internal organization and its infrastructure. The new management accelerated development of the Company, not only in terms of growing its sales volumes, but also by expansion of the portfolio of services offered and by the establishment of new capacities.

With a growing team of over 160 highly qualified employees, the Company offered services to a stable customer base of more than 100 clients in 12 European countries, including renowned automotive brands and their suppliers such as Škoda Auto, Iveco, Hella, Continental, Bosch and Honeywell.

In October 2016, GPEF II and the management team sold 100% of shares in SWELL to an international group Altran, a global leader in innovation and high-tech engineering consulting listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.