PLUTA restructuring expert Georg Jakob Stemshorn conducts M&A process: investor interest in J.N. Eberle

In the ongoing process of securing an investor for the international Eberle Group with headquarters in Augsburg and foreign companies in the US, France, Italy, South Korea, Poland and India, provisional insolvency administrator Mr Georg Jakob Stemshorn from PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH is seeing encouraging market interest. Following the conclusion of the first phase of the M&A process and the submission of non-binding offers, due diligence is now being conducted on several potential investors.

In early May, the Local Court of Augsburg, as the competent insolvency court, ordered provisional insolvency administration for J.N. Eberle & Cie. GmbH and Greiffenberger AG and appointed attorney Mr Georg Jakob Stemshorn from PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH as provisional administrator. He has maintained business operations ever since, and all orders are still being processed.

Eberle’s roots go back to 1836. The company specialises in the manufacture of quality steel products, including band saws and precision and bimetal strip steel as well as circular saws, coolants and lubricants, and other commercial products. Quality is ultimately what matters to Eberle, for example when it comes to edge accuracy. With its customised solutions, the company can also meet specific customer requirements.

Mr Gernot Egretzberger, managing director of Eberle, said, “The process of finding an investor is going well and the offers are encouraging. I see this as recognition of the quality of our products and our worldwide distribution network.”

Agreement reached on lease

In parallel to this, those in charge have reached agreement on a lease extension for the headquarters in Augsburg. The existing lease will be extended from September 2027 to late 2029, with the option to further extend to late 2030.

Provisional insolvency administrator Mr Georg Jakob Stemshorn said, “The lease extension gives us greater planning certainty in the ongoing search for an investor, strengthening the basis for a continuation solution. Our goal remains to find a suitable investor in summer 2026.”

The discussions with the interested parties have shown that the investors are pursuing different approaches to the potential acquisition. The analysis of Eberle’s financial situation has also clearly indicated that personnel measures will be needed in the coming weeks to align the cost base with business performance.

The next step is to hold further discussions with the interested parties and obtain binding offers, which the restructuring expert will then thoroughly review. In addition to Mr Stemshorn, the PLUTA team also includes business lawyer Mr Maximilian König.

Mr Markus Fischer, a partner at EY-Parthenon, and project manager Dr Daniel Blum are responsible for conducting the process of securing an investor.