As a result of the age difference of the two Andelco partners, a manufacturer of rubber and silicon parts, the entrepreneurs wanted to find a buyer since one of the two wanted to retire. The end to his entrepreneurial adventure came a little too soon for Jan Knipscheer, but managing the company on his own was not something he was that comfortable with. The same was true for NDS Seals, where JaapJan Berghuijs, besides wanting to acquire a company, was looking for a co-shareholder after his partner chose to retire.

The similarities between both parties are without a doubt unique, but that did not turn the process into a done deal. Huub Verbeeten guided the acquisition, together with Janniek Sanders and Christine Huisman. “At Marktlink, we always approach several companies to give our client a clear picture of the sale options. That was no different here. A huge perk in the process was when we came in contact with JaapJan Berghuijs, from NDS Seals, and found out that he was in a similar situation as Jan. We had received several offers, but it soon became apparent that both men just clicked.”

On the same page

Over a cup of coffee, both men determined whether they were on the same page. Jan Knipscheer: “We were a good match and we had the same vision for the new company.” Although they could have been each other’s competitors, it turned out that both companies operate in different markets. Neither entrepreneur was comfortable with managing their company alone. In January 2023, the deal was closed and as of May 2023, both companies continued under the name Sealution. “Having seen the synergy benefits between our companies, there is a good chance that we will do more of these acquisitions,” JaapJan Berghuijs suspects.

Looking back on the whole process, Jan Knipscheer is very pleased that he had a professional deal team at his side. “We operate in a fairly unknown market, so it felt right to involve a large firm like Marktlink, which could perform in-depth research, in the sale. For example, the dealmakers helped me a lot with the valuation of the company. They also kept me from several common legal pitfalls. I would not have known all that without their help.”

The same goal

The deal team managed to achieve the best result for all parties involved, for the retiring shareholder as well as the continuing shareholder. “That always requires some level of creativity”, Janniek Sanders says. “Both buyer and seller have the same goal, but the interests are very different. On top of that, there is also the retiring shareholder to take into account. Everyone had another horizon, so it is up to us to provide the right solution. We are very pleased that we have managed to both extend and expand the horizons.”