goetzpartners advised TRUMPF Gmbh & Co. KG on the sale of BeSpoon SAS to STMicroelectronics S.A.

goetzpartners Transaction Advisory Group was mandated as exclusive M&A and Commercial advisor by TRUMPF GmbH & Co. KG ("TRUMPF") on the sale of the leading Ultra-Wide Band (“UWB”) based indoor positioning technology provider BeSpoon SAS ("BESPOON") to global semiconductor company STMicroelectronics S.A. ("STMICRO"). This represents goetzpartners' 12th Technology transaction and 7th transaction of its multi-services Transaction Advisory Group in the past 18 months.

Founded in 2010 and based in Le Bourget-du-Lac, France, BESPOON develops high-accuracy location-tracking solutions based on UWB technology. The company combines exploratory R&D capabilities with its industrial experience to develop best-in-class UWB chips and software. BESPOON's innovative technology enables positioning with centimeter accuracy inside buildings, including harsh industrial environments. Use cases for UWB technology include industrial manufacturing and the automotive and consumer sectors.

The deal rationale is to conclude a strategic partnership in the field of UWB positioning technology. By acquiring BESPOON, STMICRO aims to build on the rapidly growing market potential of UWB in the industrial, automotive, and personal electronics markets. As part of this agreement, STMICRO will acquire TRUMPF's majority stake in the UWB pioneer BESPOON. The remaining shares will also be transferred to STMICRO. Within the framework of the strategic partnership, TRUMPF will focus on the ongoing development of its Track&Trace indoor positioning and tracking system.

"This partnership will enable us to expand TRUMPF’s pioneering role in localization systems for industry. As well as laying the foundations for our next-generation products, it will also strengthen our role as a system provider," says Peter Leibinger, Chief Technology Officer at TRUMPF. As a developer and high-volume manufacturer of semiconductor devices, STMicroelectronics will be injecting the expertise required to develop the next generation of industrial UWB chips in partnership with TRUMPF. TRUMPF is also the co-founder of omlox, an open standard for locating technologies.

goetzpartners Transaction Advisory Group acted as sole and exclusive M&A sell-side and Commercial Due Diligence advisor to TRUMPF. This transaction further underlines the competence as advisor of choice in the TMT industry as well as the special field of advanced chip design and semiconductors combined with the experience in cross-border M&A transactions. We are pleased by the successful outcome which proved that our newly designed digital M&A process as a result of the COVID-19 lock-down yields outstanding results. This emphasizes our competence in creating outperforming process tactics paired with unmatched execution power as well as speed and "to-the-point" results through the seamless combination of services in the Transaction Advisory Group and its digital expertise. The Purchase Agreement is subject to customary closing conditions.

ABOUT TRUMPF
TRUMPF is the family-owned technological and market leader for machine tools used in flexible sheet metal processing, industrial lasers, and electronics for industrial applications. Founded in 1923 and headquartered in Ditzingen, Germany, TRUMPF is internationally active with more than 70 subsidiaries and about 14,500 employees and generates ca. EUR 3.8bn in revenues in fiscal year 2018/19. The company is now driving digital connectivity and Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing industry through consulting, platform, and software solutions.

ABOUT BESPOON
BeSpoon is a fabless semiconductor company, developing best-in-class indoor location-tracking solutions based on ultra-wide band (UWB) technology. Founded in 2010 and based in Le Bourget-du-Lac, France, BeSpoon is a pioneer in the precise-location technology sector and offers customizable chipsets, software stacks, and off-the-shelf hardware products that provide highest accuracy and refresh rates even in noisy environments.

Transaction Team