Binder jet 3D printer manufacturer voxeljet has agreed to sell its entire business to Anzu Partners LLC in an asset deal valued at approximately €20 million. The agreement includes the transfer of liabilities and a €1.7 million cash payment. Expected to close in March 2025, the sale seeks to secure voxeljet’s financial future and achieve sustainable profitability.
The Anzu Partners purchase agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including foreign investment clearance in Germany and approval at voxeljet’s General Meeting. The company’s management and supervisory boards have indicated that they will encourage shareholders to approve the transaction. If approved, the deal will see Anzu acquire voxeljet’s core operating business, including its manufacturing facilities, 3D printing technology, customer contracts, and leadership team.
The new agreement includes a 45-day go-shop period before the General Meeting. During this window, expiring on January 12, 2025, voxeljet will actively initiate, solicit and consider alternate acquisition proposals from third parties. A superior offer could see voxeljet terminate the deal with Anzu Partners to pursue a more favorable agreement.
Anzu Partners reportedly harbour a “strong commitment to voxeljet’s existing customers, suppliers and employees.” The firm’s Managing Partner, Whitney Haring-Smith, will chair the future business’s Board of Directors while voxeljet CEO Rudolf Franz will stay on to lead the new enterprise.
In a LinkedIn post, Franz stated that he is “truly excited” about the future of voxeljet and “the opportunities this new chapter will bring for our company and everyone involved.”
He added in an official press release that “The combination of voxeljet’s world-class talent and extraordinary franchises with Anzu’s technology network, access to talent, ambitious vision and shared commitment to investing in the next generation of breakthroughs will help ensure our continued success in an increasingly competitive industry.”
Anzu Partners to acquire voxeljet
Anzu Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm with extensive expertise in the industrial technology sector, manages assets of approximately $1 billion. It recently participated in 6K’s $82 million Series E funding round, building on its support for the earlier $51 million Series C round in 2021.
The agreed purchase price is based on a €20,033,000 valuation of voxeljet. This will be paid through the assumption of the 3D printer manufacturer’s liabilities and approximately €1.7 million in cash. Simultaneously with the transaction’s resolution, shareholders will decide on the liquidation of voxeljet, which is set to occur following the sale’s closure.
Morrison & Foerster LLP and Hogan Lovells International LLP are serving as Anzu and voxeljet’s legal counsel, respectively. BNP Paribas acted as voxeljet’s financial advisor.
This sales agreement follows the news earlier this year that voxeljet withdrew from the NASDAQ Stock Exchange and terminated its registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company decided to end its financial reporting obligations with the SEC to reduce expenses and strengthen its financial position. voxeljet now trades on the over-the-counter (OTC) markets under the ticker “VJTTY.”
Before this, the firm initiated a formal review to evaluate “strategic alternatives for the company” in October 2023, which included possible mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. voxeljet’s Q3 2023 financial results suggested that economic motivations were behind this decision. The company reported an operating loss of -€2.8 million, up 12% from -€2.5 million in Q2 2022. At the time, voxeljet attributed this increased loss to high administrative expenses.
3D printing mergers and acquisitions
Additive manufacturing market consolidation has become a prominent talking point within the industry, driven by heightened mergers and acquisitions activity.
Israeli electronics 3D printer manufacturer Nano Dimension is leading the M&A push. Earlier this year, the company announced its Desktop Metal acquisition in an all-cash transaction worth approximately $183 million, or $5.50 per share. Yoav Stern, Nano Dimension’s CEO, stated that this combination will result in the creation of a “larger, more diversified global innovative company” set to generate “long-term value creation for shareholders,” and achieve “profitable growth.”
The new 3D printing company will reportedly feature a strong financial profile, with join revenue of $246M, 28% of which is recurring revenue. Desktop Metal’s CEO Ric Fulop commented that the deal ended the company’s two-and-a-half-year search for a buyer amid “concerning” sales performance and a weakening financial outlook. In a call with investors, Fulop emphasized that failing to complete this deal could lead to a “fatal prognosis” for Desktop Metal.
Nano Dimension’s 2024 acquisition spree continued in September with the agreement to purchase leading FDM 3D printing company Markforged in a $115 million all-cash transaction. The deal will see Nano acquire all outstanding shares of Markforged at $5.00 per share. This represented a 71.8% premium over Markforged’s volume-weighted average price (VWAP) as of September 24, 2024. With the inclusion of both Markforged and Desktop Metal, the combined company’s revenue based on fiscal year 2023 figures is projected to reach $340 million.
In other mergers and acquisitions news, industrial manufacturing firm Siemens is set to acquire Altair Engineering Inc. in a deal worth approximately $10 billion. This move seeks to strengthen Siemens’ position as a leading technology firm and software provider. Siemens’ CEO Roland Busch believes that combining Altair’s computational and artificial intelligence expertise with Siemens’ Xcelerator platform will create the “world’s most complete AI-powered design and simulation portfolio.”
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Featured image shows a sign at voxeljet HQ. Photo via voxeljet
