goetzpartners exclusively advised The Riverside Company and Halder on the sale of KEYMILE to NASDAQ-listed DASAN Zhone Solutions

goetzpartners Corporate Finance exclusively advised The Riverside Company and Halder, the 100% shareholders of KEYMILE, on the disposal of their shares to NASDAQ-listed DASAN Zhone Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: DZSI or “DZS”). The transaction was successfully closed in January 2019 after obtaining Foreign Trade Ordinance (Außenwirtschaftsverordnung – “AWV”) clearance.

DZS, a global leader in fiber access transformation for enterprises and the telecom industry, acquired KEYMILE, a leading solution provider and manufacturer of telecommunication systems for broadband access. The acquisition aims to further strengthen DZS’s portfolio of broadband access solutions to offer a series of multi-service access platforms for FTTx network architectures, including ultra-fast broadband copper access based on VDSL/Vectoring & G.Fast technology. Additionally, this strategic acquisition further expands DZS’s global footprint and accelerates the company’s vision of empowering global advancement.

As exclusive financial advisor to the sellers, goetzpartners successfully managed the complex disposal process by aligning all transaction stakeholders with their individual goals and expectations across three continents, Oakland/USA, Seoul/Korea and Hanover/Germany.

“We’re delighted that we’ve found such an opportunity for synergy with KEYMILE in Europe,” said Yung Kim, CEO of DZS. 

Lothar Schwemm, KEYMILE’s CEO adds: “As a part of DZS we’ll be able to even better respond to our customers’ requirements and offer them a much broader portfolio of solutions. Our customers will, of course, continue to benefit from our strengths as a German manufacturer in future.”

The transaction marks a significant cross-border telecom vendor M&A deal and is goetzpartners’ #31 transaction within the telecom vendor industry underpinning its industry and cross-border execution know-how.

ABOUT KEYMILE

KEYMILE is a leading provider of telecommunication systems for broadband access covering solutions for all types of FTTx network architectures. Headquartered in Germany, KEYMILE has installed systems in more than 100 countries worldwide with its subsidiaries and partners. The company generates sales of approx. €42m and employs about 150 people.

ABOUT DASAN Zhone Solutions

DASAN Zhone Solutions, headquartered in the US, is a global provider of network access solutions for service providers and enterprise networks. The company was established through the merger of US based Zhone Technologies with Korean based DASAN Network Solutions. DZS is listed on the NASDAQ with a market cap of approx. €210m (December 2018) and a workforce of over 650 people.

TRANSACTION TEAM

Milan Saric
Managing Director
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Ivo Polten
Managing Director
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Daniel Mövius
Associate Director

Robert Wagon
Associate