Hampleton Partners advises thyssenkrupp Materials Services on the acquisition of WAVES

Supply chain management with a focus on sustainability

Hampleton Partners has advised a thyssenkrupp company on a strategic acquisition as part of a buy-side target search program. thyssenkrupp Materials Services, one of the world's leading independent materials distributors and supply chain service providers, has acquired WAVES, a leading provider of sustainability management platforms based in Luxembourg. The acquisition is an important step in expanding the sustainability product range of pacemaker, the AI subsidiary of thyssenkrupp Materials Services. As a pioneer in the field of sustainable, AI-supported supply chain solutions, pacemaker supports companies on their way to a transparent supply chain. The acquisition underlines the company's commitment to supporting its customers in their sustainability goals. The project was led on the part of Hampleton by Konstantin Kastius, Managing Director and Oliver Rupps, Sector Principal Logistics and Digital Supply Chain.

Founded as a corporate venture by thyssenkrupp, pacemaker.ai offers tailor-made software solutions for optimizing global supply chains. The AI solutions, which can be individually configured to meet customer needs, focus on demand forecasting and carbon intelligence, using a combination of raw data, industry knowledge and machine learning to provide customers from a wide range of industries with highly accurate forecasts and CO2 balances.

WAVES offers a multi-award-winning, TÜV-certified Sustainability Management Platform (SMP) that helps companies calculate and manage their ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) indicators along the entire supply chain. Companies can use the platform to monitor their sustainability performance in real-time and proactively take steps to minimize negative environmental impacts.

Utilizing the SMP of WAVES, which was founded in 2019, pacemaker will expand its own carbon intelligence solution in order to meet the diverse demand for sustainability solutions from a single source in the future. By integrating it into pacemaker's portfolio, customers of thyssenkrupp Materials Services can now access a reliable and scalable solution that helps them accurately calculate and report on their sustainability indicators. The materials trader and service provider can thus potentially tap into a market of up to 50,000 companies. 

"Sustainability is an integral part of corporate activity and is therefore increasingly anchored at all levels along the supply chain. With the acquisition, pacemaker can offer its customers even more sophisticated data-based solutions – this conserves resources, increases efficiency and reduces costs. We are pleased to have successfully accompanied the acquisition," says Oliver Rupps, Sector Principal Logistics and Digital Supply Chain at Hampleton Partners.

Konstantin Kastius, Managing Director at Hampleton Partners, comments on the acquisition process: "During the transaction process, we used our tech expertise and extensive network in supply chain management to attract the interest of a number of interested parties. It is gratifying that we were able to bring together two companies that are a perfect match."

The transaction underlines Hampleton's M&A expertise in supply chain management and is another success story after more than 120 consulting mandates successfully completed by Hampleton. These include many groundbreaking transactions such as the USD 100 million investment in Shopware by Carlyle and PayPal, the acquisition of Reiff by Haberkorn or the strategic investment in Paqato by easybill/LEA-Partners.

The international software and tech specialist also publishes free sector reports several times a year. The latest Hampleton Partners sector reports, including the current Supply Chain Management Software Report 2H2024, can be downloaded free of charge via the following link: https://www.hampletonpartners.com/reports/

Hampleton Partners advises owners of software and technology companies on M&A transactions and growth financing with strategic buyers or financial investors. Hampleton's experienced dealmakers have advised hundreds of technology industry shareholders to date, providing hands-on experience and targeted advice to entrepreneurs looking to sell, partially retire, or accelerate their growth.

With hubs in London, Frankfurt, Stockholm, San Francisco and Shanghai, Hampleton offers a global perspective with industry expertise in the following areas: Enterprise Software, Digital Commerce, IT & Business Services, Artificial Intelligence, Autotech & Mobility, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Supply Chain Management, Healthtech, HR Tech and Insurtech.

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