Wendel SA (Public, EPA:MF) is a France-based investment company, specializing in acquiring long-term holdings in industrial and services companies, which have presence in more than 20 business activities.
The Wendel Group was founded in 1704 in Lorraine. The Wendel family has been concentrating on industry and services for over three centuries.
Long responsible for the development of the steel industry in France, the Wendel Group diversified in the late 70s. Today it is dedicated to the success of a diverse range of leading international companies (in the electrical, electronic and aerospace industries, in certification, in materials and special chemicals for construction, in health, in energy and in high-performance cladding).
The Group has its shareholding family as its anchor point, composed of more than a thousand Wendel family shareholders in the family company SLPS, with around a 35% share in the Wendel Group.
As of December 31, 2008, Wendel SA held the following stakes: Bureau Veritas (52%), Materis (76%), Stallergenes (47%), Stahl (48%), Deutsch Group (89%), Saint-Gobain (18%) and Legrand (26%), as well as in various non-strategic listed holdings. Acquisitive growth is an integral part of the development model of Group companies. The Group made 31 acquisitions in 2011, and all of them plan to achieve a nonnegligible share of their growth through acquisitions, focusing on small or medium purchases, which create the most value.
The Firm takes part in the definition and implementation of ambitious strategies and provides the funding necessary. The investment strategy and development of the Firm takes place via close interaction with the management teams of the companies in which the Firm is a shareholder. This partnership is at the heart of the value creation process. The Firm offers active and constant support, sharing the risks and providing expertise as well as financial and technical skills.