Adhesives manufacturer Wakol GmbH is increasing its share in LOBA GmbH & Co. KG and now holds a majority stake in the company. As Wakol has been majority-owned by ARDEX since 2015, LOBA will now become part of the international ARDEX Group.
To facilitate this transaction, four long-standing LOBA shareholders have put their shares up for sale. The overriding goal of this decision is to safeguard the company’s long-term success. Therefore, the new shareholder structure consists of Wakol GmbH and Michael Fischer, who will remain as Managing Partner.
“By linking LOBA with Wakol, we have managed to provide our company with an extremely sustainable perspective and pave the way for my succession early on. The international operations of the ARDEX Group offer excellent opportunities to continue growing and to lead LOBA into a successful future,” says Managing Partner Michael Fischer about the new structure. “I am most delighted that our shareholders unanimously supported this step and that we have been able to win such substantial partners for LOBA”.
Christian Groß, Wakol shareholder and CEO, sees the strengthening and expansion of the existing cooperation as a common goal: “LOBA and Wakol have been working together excellently for over 20 years and we are now able to reinforce this even further. I am convinced that the ARDEX Group offers great opportunities for both companies, whilst at the same time preserving the values and culture of a family business”.
“The cooperation with LOBA provides us with an optimal constellation to further expand our competence in the field of flooring systems and surface finishings. The LOBA brand enjoys a distinguished reputation and stands for technical competence, premium products and outstanding service. The strong international orientation and the extremely high level of commitment of the people involved have convinced us that LOBA is the ideal partner for us,” says Mark Eslamlooy, CEO of the ARDEX Group.
LOBA’s Ditzingen site will be further expanded as a development and production center for surface finishing within the ARDEX Group. The treatment and finishing of wood and cork currently play a key role for LOBA. Additionally, the company is expanding its activities in finishing resilient floor coverings as well as cementitious surfaces.
The company name, brand and sales structure remain unchanged as well as the contact persons for customers and suppliers. In both companies, the organization and personnel will remain the same. Following a mandatory review by the antitrust authorities, the transaction is expected to be completed at the latest by the end of November 2018.