Press release
Paris, 4th November 2020
Levine Keszler advises the SOCOTEC group on its acquisition of the Cementys group
The SOCOTEC Group, a major player in Testing, Inspection and Certification in construction, infrastructure and industry, has acquired Cementys, a group specialising in infrastructure monitoring. At the heart of the SOCOTEC Group’s strategy, the global infrastructure monitoring market is worth €3 billion, with growth expected to exceed 15% per year until 2025.
The SOCOTEC Group has a strong brand recognised in the construction and infrastructure sectors in France and in its main markets, notably the USA, the UK, Germany, Italy, the Middle East and Africa. Undergoing a major transformation over the past four years, with sales rising from €500m to €900m over the period and the proportion of revenues generated outside France increasing from 10% to 45%, the group employs 9,000 engineers and technicians worldwide, including 5,000 in France.
The acquisition of Cementys, a fast-growing group in the infrastructure monitoring sector, is central to SOCOTEC’s strategy of strengthening its positions in this market by working alongside major French and international public and private sector clients. Cementys is set to achieve sales of nearly €20m by 2020, with around 100 employees in France and Vietnam.
Levine Keszler advised the SOCOTEC group on this transaction.
Advising the SOCOTEC group:
Levine Keszler (Nicolas de Courtivron, Pierre Treille, partners, Mickaël Guillemot, Pierre Plettener and Rebecca Zbili): legal audit, structuring, contractual and corporate aspects of the transaction
KPMG (Yoann Lefort, Tahar Kedous, Eddy Amouri and Xavier Houard): financial and tax audit
Toison& associés (Sophie Brassart, Matthieu Démoulain and Tristan Nezry-Sciaky, Guillaume Boueilh and Paul Bonnet): social audit
Marsh (Jean-Marie Dargaignaratz): insurance audit
Niji (Nicolas Michel and Raphael Vine): technical audit
M&A advisor:
Capitalmind (Michel Degryck and Christopher Martin)
Counsel to the Cementys group:
HoganLovells (corporate: Stéphane Huten, Ali Chegra and Florian Tranchecoste; tax: Ludovic Geneston): tax structuring, contractual aspects, corporate aspects of the transaction.
The full press release is attached.
