The EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) service provider SERO GmbH took over Semecs on April 30, 2021 in full with retroactive effect from January 1st, 2021 as part of a share deal. Semecs is a Dutch company with a production facility in Vráble, Slovakia, with a turnover of approximately € 70 million with around 460 employees. Semecs also has an engineering center in Uden (NL) and sales offices in Mosbach, Munich and Slagelse (DK).
Dr. Bernd Welzel, CEO of SERO GmbH, emphasizes the strategic importance of this acquisition: “We are pleased to have taken over a recognized and reliable EMS partner in the competent team of Semecs, especially their CEO, Jan-Frederik Kalee. We will build up one of Europe’s leading and competitive EMS service providers under a new, joint umbrella brand that will delight both our company’s regular customers in the automotive, industrial and medical sectors as well as new customers. Together we offer production services that will result from the combination of the core competencies of both companies. With this step we are putting our planned international expansion and growth strategy on a successful path.”
SERO, as a production partner and tier 1 supplier that is established in the automotive industry, is characterized by its production location in Germany, innovative inspection and testing procedures as well as a high level of automation and quality. The company, which specializes in high-volume orders, pursues a strategy of healthy growth. In addition to the automotive industry, which currently accounts for 85% of the company’s turnover, the focus is deliberately directed towards the industrial segment. “It is not only in these areas that a holistic industrialization concept and the offer of further processing steps are required in addition to the assembly of printed circuit boards. painting, montage, casting and final montage (box-building).”, explains Sven Merkel, CFO of SERO GmbH and adds: “This is exactly where SERO has already invested significantly in the past few months.”
Through the targeted acquisition of Semecs, additional production capacities, a strengthening of the market position through higher purchasing volumes and new skills were gained. “Semecs specializes in medium-volume and manual activities and, in addition to IATF 16949, is also certified for manufacturing, including processes like coating, potting, gluing and box building, of medical devices (ISO 13485). We are thus supplementing the SERO portfolio with a range of services tailored to industrial and medical customers.”, explains Jan-Frederik Kalee, who will be part of the new management. Semecs currently generates 85% of sales in the industrial and medical sectors and 15% in the automotive industry.
The combination of the two EMS specialists ensures a strong and competitive presence in Europe with a turnover of more than € 150 million and a wide range of manufacturing services across various market segments. Semecs’ customer base, weighted complementarily to SERO, results in an overall balanced customer portfolio in the course of the acquisition. The purchase is currently subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities.
