Year: 2011

The merger of Intera’s portfolio company Polarica and Finnish Lapin Liha Oy has been completed. The acquisition supports Polarica’s strategy to become the leading Nordic berry and game meat producer with sufficient scale and recourses to internationalize the sales of healthy food products derived from the Nordic nature.

Both companies produce game and berry products and the combined entity has operations Sweden, Finland, Poland and Russia. Combined pro forma revenue for the Group amounts to €110 million in 2011. The Group has approx 280 employees.

– Lapin Liha has a very strong market position in Finland and its products and competences are complementary to Polarica’s offering. We believe that through the merger two strong companies form an even stronger combined entity with possibility to grow internationally, says Lapin Liha’s CEO Jukka Kristo.

Intera, who continues as the majority owner of the Group also after the transaction, sees plenty of future growth potential especially in the Nordic market of game products but also growth outside the Nordic region is a clear goal for the future. The combined Group is able to make the necessary investments to increase the value-add of the products as well as to invest more heavily in sales and marketing.

– The new Group has significant possibilities to develop the marketing of healthy Nordic food products internationally. Also the position of reindeer meat in the environmentally conscious Swedish and Finnish retail markets can be further improved and our berry products have plenty of international sales potential, says Martin Grotenfelt, partner of Intera and board member of Polarica

Additional information:

Martin Grotenfelt
partner
Intera Partners Oy
+358 50 2145

Polarica AB was founded in 1972 and is today one of Europe’s leading producers of wild berries, garden berries and game meat. Polarica’s products are sold to retail, food industry, HoReCa and pharmaceutical customers with own and private label brands.

Delete Group (formerly YP Holding) has acquired three environmental service companies – Lifa Palvelut, ASB Group and Enviroc. Following the acquisition, the group employs approx. 400 employees and its pro forma turnover exceeds 50 million euros.

Acquired companies will form Delete’s Special demolition business unit. Other Delete Group BU:s include Heavy demolition, Cleaning services and Waste processing.

Lifa Palvelut group includes Hesabest, the leading Finnish asbestos and hazardous material removal company; HB Paloturva, which performs firestop installations; and HB Sisäilmatutkimus, which provides asbestos and other hazardous materials inspection and identification services.

ASB Group, through its subsidiary Scan-Clean, is one of Finland´s leading fire and water damage remediation and control service providers. Group’s other activities include asbestos and other hazardous materials inspection and identification services; asbestos and hazardous material removal through subsidiary Lämpöset; and ventilation channel cleaning and imaging services through subsidiary IV-Special.

Through Delete’s acquisition of Enviroc’s partial demolition business, Enviroc’s demolition-focused daughter company Rikano will also join Delete Group.

Delete Group has earlier acquired Toivonen Yhtiöt Oy, Tehoc Oy, Was-Ste Oy, Painehuuhtelu PTV Oy, Vuoksen Teollisuuspuhdistus Oy, RMS Ympäristöpalvelut Oy and Seppo Lehtola Oy.

CONTACT

Janne Näränen, partner

Intera Partners Oy
tel. +358 50 566 4869
janne.naranen@interapartners.fi

Intera Partners Oy (“Intera”) today announces the closing of Intera Fund II Ky at €200 million. Investors in the Fund include leading Nordic and European institutional investors. Intera will continue to invest primarily in Finnish companies that possess substantial growth potential in their domestic market or potential to expand abroad.

Intera aims to invest primarily in Finnish companies that possess growth potential either in their domestic market or abroad. The most common limitations for growth faced by Finnish mid-sized companies are lack of capital needed for expansion as well as limited experience in executing acquisitions and managing international growth. Intera aims to add value in its portfolio companies by removing these limitations through leveraging its expertise in finance and M&A, as well as its industrial and international experience.

Intera’s typical investment targets are profitable companies with turnover of €10-100 million that have not yet reached their full capacity. Intera’s strategy is built on a strong partnership with entrepreneurs and the management teams of its portfolio companies. Intera is generally a majority owner in its portfolio companies and prior owners have often retained a significant minority interest after selling their company to Intera.

From its first fund, Intera Fund I established in 2007, Intera has successfully invested in seven companies, among others Consti, Orthex and Trafotek.

For more information contact: Managing Director Tuomas Lang, tel. +358 40 545 1240, tuomas.lang_a_interapartners.fi,www.interapartners.fi

Intera Partners Oy is a Finnish private equity firm focusing on majority investments in Finnish and Scandinavian companies. We aim to maximise the value of the companies we invest in through growth and improved profitability. Intera is an active owner who works in close co-operation with the management of its portfolio companies to develop them further.

Normek, owned by Intera Fund I, grows by acquiring Naaraharju Oy, a producer of steel structures, and Botnia Fasad Oy, a producer of glass facades. The acquisitions increase Normek’s budgeted turnover for 2011 to over €100 million.

”With the acquisitions of Naaraharju and Botnia Fasad we attempt to enhance our position especially in the Finnish and Swedish markets for steel structures and glass facade production”, Managing Director of Normek, Klaus Saarikallio says. ”By improving sales and marketing and with synergy benefits, we attempt to gain an increased amount of orders for our production facilities. For our clients the acquisitions bring increased capacity also for the largest and most demanding projects”, Saarikallio continues.

At the moment two thirds of Normek’s order stock comes from Sweden, where the company in June 2010 acquired Brisab Industri AB, a producer of steel structures. ”We will continue to produce the most demanding structures and the largest projects in Finland even for the Swedish markets. It is our objective to gain foothold in the Swedish glass facade market together with Botnia Fasad”, Klaus Saarikallio says.
Both Normek and Naaraharju have a strong position as supplier of steel structures to industrial projects. A clear area of growth is the mining industry. In Northern Sweden, Normek has already in the past years delivered three substantial steel structure deliveries for the mining industry, each worth over €10 million.

Additional information:
Jokke Paananen, Intera Partners, partner, tel. +358 50 3003737

Naaraharju Oy is founded in 1970 and is today a leading supplier of steel structures in Finland. The company’s production facility is located in Naarajärvi, Pieksamäki. At the moment the company employs approximately 80 people and its budgeted turnover for the year 2011 is €19 million.

Botnia Fasad Oy is one of Finland’s leading suppliers of glass facade solutions. The company’s modern production facility is located in Isokyrö. Botnia Fasad employs 30 people and its budgeted turnover for year 2011 is €8 million.
Normek Group concentrates on production of steel structures, glass facades and steel bridges. Normek is one of the market leaders in the Nordic Countries. Normek’s headquarters are located in Vantaa, and after the acquisitions the Group has six production facilities in Finland and two in Sweden.

Putkistohuuhtelu Oy PTV, Vuoksen Teollisuuspuhdistus-Oy, RMS Ympäristöpalvelut Oy ja Seppo Lehtola Oy have joined the Intera-owned environmental services company. In 2010, the combined entity reached pro forma revenues of €36 million.