VINCI Energies buys France's SECAL, an €30M lifting-equipment group, from Isatis Capital
What's the deal? Isatis CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has sold its stake in France's SECALDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → group to VINCI EnergiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, exiting an investment it first made in 2019. The independent private equity firm did not disclose the deal value.
What does SECAL do? The engineering group specialises in industrial lifting and comprises four companies — SECAL, SN SolomatDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, SERALDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and EuroptechDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — based mainly in north-eastern France and employing close to 100 people. Together they cover the full life cycle of lifting equipment, from custom design and manufacturing to maintenance and compliance upgrades.
The numbers: Since Isatis entered the business in 2019, SECAL has grown its combined revenue to €30 million. The transaction marks the eighth exit for Crescendo, a professional private equity fund (FPCI) managed by Isatis.
Why does it matter for VINCIDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →? VINCI Energies strengthens its offering in industrial lifting and handling, a market shaped by tightening safety and compliance requirements and by the need to keep industrial sites operational.
What's the rationale? Isatis frames the sale as proof of its thesis: backing French SMEs with differentiated know-how in critical links of the country's industrial base. "These constitute strategic assets for large groups seeking consolidation," said Laurent Baudino, a member of the firm's executive board (translated from French).
The context: Founded in 2013 and regulated by France's Autorité des Marchés Financiers, Isatis Capital manages more than €400 million for institutional and private clients. The exit follows its launch of the Isatis Souveraineté PME fund, dedicated to financing French SMEs.
The signal: The deal reflects a pattern of French industrial majors absorbing smaller specialists to build out niche capabilities, giving private equity firms a route to structuring exits with domestic buyers rather than foreign acquirers or public markets.
Read more: finyear.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
