PLUTA restructuring expert Dr Lehr finds investor for specialist publisher

Dr Matthias Lehr from PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH has succeeded in finding an investor for agt agile technik verlag GmbH. The Ludwigsburg-based publisher specialising in technical magazines had to file for insolvency in February 2020 due to liquidity problems. Effective 1 May 2020, specialist publisher TeDo Verlag GmbH from Marburg has taken over business operations.

The parties involved have agreed to maintain confidentiality about the purchase price. All six employees, permanent and freelance, will be kept on by the buyer.

Management has been looking for an investor for the highly specialised publisher since late 2019, with the aim of better exploiting synergy effects. It has now succeeded in this in cooperation with the PLUTA restructuring expert, who was appointed provisional insolvency administrator back in February 2020. On 1 May 2020, the Local Court of Ludwigsburg opened the proceedings and appointed Dr Lehr as insolvency administrator for the publisher.

Investor solution in spite of the coronavirus crisis

“The current economic situation is not easy. The COVID-19 crisis is also a factor in discussions with investors. The publisher has high-quality technical print products that are respected in the industry. I am therefore all the more pleased that we have achieved this outcome,” said PLUTA attorney Dr Lehr.

TeDo Verlag GmbH, a specialist publisher based in Marburg with some 65 employees, has been publishing industry and trade periodicals for the last 30 years or so. SPS-MAGAZIN, now the best known German-language trade magazine in Europe for the automation sector, was the publisher’s first magazine.

agt verlag has been in business for more than 70 years and has evolved from a classic print and online provider to a network for communication surrounding the latest technology. The Ludwigsburg-based publisher’s product range includes several technical magazines covering mechanical engineering, woodworking and infrastructure. In addition to its Ludwigsburg headquarters, the company also has a location in Munich.