Houlihan Lokey Advises BauWatch

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that BauWatch, a portfolio company of Nordian Capital Partners (Nordian), has been acquired by Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH (Haniel). The transaction closed on 8 April 2021.

Spun out of Dutch construction group Visser Assen about 10 years ago and headquartered in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, BauWatch has almost single-handedly created the market for remote temporary security solutions in Europe. The company’s surveillance, access control, alarm, and safety systems are mainly used on construction and energy infrastructure sites. Other application areas include open storage areas and company premises, parking lots, events, and recycling areas. Under Nordian’s ownership, BauWatch has grown rapidly, nearly quadrupling its revenue while substantially professionalising the organisation and building its solution offering.

Founded in 1756, Haniel is a 100% family business, with headquarters in Duisburg, Germany. It manages a portfolio of independent companies with the aim of future-proofing all investments and creating value for generations to come. To this end, it pursues a structured investment strategy along the three pillars—people, planet, and progress—with a strict focus on sustainability and performance.

Through this acquisition, BauWatch has found an experienced long-term partner with the expertise to support its international growth ambitions and further build its offering to become a European champion in remote temporary security, safety, and compliance solutions.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to BauWatch and Nordian and assisted in marketing, structuring, and negotiating the transaction on their behalf. In addition, Houlihan Lokey’s Capital Markets team conducted a lender education process for financing parties. This transaction highlights Houlihan Lokey’s transaction capabilities in the Benelux and DACH regions and dedicated sector expertise within the security and safety vertical.