The family business Henke Sass Wolf GmbH acquires Zünd Präzisionsoptik AG

Henke Sass Wolf GmbH ("HSW") acquires Zünd Präzisionsoptik AG and its subsidiary Optivac AG ("Zünd Präzisionsoptik AG"), the leading manufacturer of optical components in the micro optics sector. The Zünd Group is a leading global competence center for sophisticated plano optics and coatings of the highest quality. Customers from all over the world and from a wide range of industries are served from the modern production site in Switzerland.

In January 2020, the multi-family office Verium took over a majority stake in the Zünd Group as part of a succession solution. In its more than 50-year history, the Zünd Group has successfully established itself as the market leader for compact and micro prisms and has earned a first-class reputation, particularly in the medical technology sector.

"We are pleased to have had the opportunity to successfully develop the Zünd Group together with the management. The group is now ideally positioned to continue on its current growth path and with HSW an ideal partner has been found for this purpose. We wish both companies all the best for the future," says George Merk, Partner at Verium.

A strong partnership

The two companies have already been working together successfully for decades, with Zünd Group acting as a supplier to HSW and its subsidiaries. HSW's acquisition of Zünd Group creates a strong partnership - the combined expertise and resources will enable the company to continue to differentiate itself through top quality, a strong customer focus and technological expertise. The management as well as the more than 60 employees of the Zünd Group will all remain on board. This continuity ensures a smooth transition as well as the preservation and further expansion of the proven unique selling points and many years of experience.

Henner Witte, CEO of Henke Sass Wolf GmbH comments as follows: "The acquisition of Zünd Präzisionsoptik AG with Optivac AG is a decisive step for the future of Henke Sass Wolf. We are convinced that working together in an internationally active family business will enable us to maximize our innovative strength and increasingly support our customers with high-quality products. We are pleased to welcome the employees of the Zünd Group to our company."

Rainer Trittenbach and Andreas Dauerer, CEO and CTO of the Zünd Group respectively, are also looking forward to the cooperation with HSW with great anticipation: "We are delighted to become part of HSW and are convinced that this cooperation represents a win-win situation for both companies. Together with HSW, we see a variety of starting points for further developing ourselves organizationally and technologically and for driving forward our growth course. - Not only HSW, but first and foremost our customers will benefit from this."

Involved parties

Henke Sass Wolf GmbH

Henke Sass Wolf GmbH is a German family-owned company headquartered in Tuttlingen.  As a long-standing customer of the Zünd Group, the company specializes in the development and manufacture of high-quality medical products in the field of medical endoscopy. With a long tradition and experience as an original equipment (OEM) manufacturer in the medical device industry, the company is known for its innovative solutions and optical expertise. Henke Sass Wolf products are used, often under the name of its customers, in hospitals and medical facilities worldwide.

Zünd Precision Optics AG

Founded in 1968, Zünd Präzisionsoptik AG is a leading global manufacturer of optical components in the micro-optics sector, offering high-quality glass prisms, plano optics and cemented solutions used primarily in medical technology (endoscopy), but also in industry, metrology, aerospace and telecommunications.

Optivac AG

Optivac AG is a leading specialist in the coating of optical components such as lenses and prisms. Various coatings (e.g. anti-reflective, filter, mirror and beam splitter coatings) are applied by thermal evaporation (PVD) or ion plating (IAD technology).

Verium AG

Verium is an independent Multi Family Office and manages investments in medium-sized companies in the DACH region for its investors. In the past, Verium has invested in Home Instead, basefit.ch, Christ & Heiri, Toradex, Tavola Group, Quickmail/Quickpac, Mobil in Time, DSwiss and Sequotech, among others.