According to Hospodářské noviny, a 100 percent stake in Meopta-optika, which produces optical products for industrial, military and consumer use in Přerov, will be bought by the multinational private equity fund Carlyle Group for just under EUR 700 million (roughly CZK 16 billion). According to HN, representatives of the fund agreed on the transaction over the weekend with Gerald and David Rausnitz, who own Meopta. Meopta’s marketing director Jiří Coufal did not confirm or deny the information.
The Carlyle Group fund in the Czech Republic owns the start-up Phrase, which develops a cloud platform for automation and better efficiency of language translations, and since last year also a majority stake in Tescan Orsay, a Brno-based manufacturer of electron microscopes.
“I can’t comment on the outcome of the negotiations (on the sale of 100 percent stake in Meopta). I can only confirm that we are heading to the final stage,” Jan Brabec of Deloitte Czech Republic told HN. It is the consultancy companies Deloitte and Goldman Sachs that are managing the sale of Meopta. Carl Zeiss was among the bidders for the company, but according to HN, it lost its exclusivity and came second in the renewed sale process.
Meopta employs 1,800 people in Přerov and reported a record net profit of CZK 806.4 million in 2021. Meopta’s profit increased almost eightfold year-on-year the year before. Thanks mainly to higher demand for optoelectronics for the semiconductor industry and dental medicine, the company earned CZK 3.675bn in 2021. Revenues rose by CZK 1 billion year-on-year and were the highest in the company’s history.
The bulk of Meopta’s sales the year before last were in strategic systems, which includes optoelectronics. In this product category, the company earned CZK 2.793 billion. This was followed by free optics (CZK 350.3 million), sports optics (CZK 343.2 million) and military technology (CZK 141.1 million). About 90 percent of Meopta-optics’ production in 2021 was exported to more than 70 countries.
Meopta’s management also expects significant sales growth for 2022, as demand for chips continues to grow due to massive digitalization. “The revenue guidance for 2022 is therefore set at CZK 4.5 billion. However, we already expect this target to be exceeded,” Meopta-optics CEO Alena Moore said in the 2021 annual report.
Meopta-optika has changed its business strategy in recent years. “Today, it is primarily a technology company that is a supplier of optical solutions and industrial applications for the semiconductor industry and healthcare, for example. The production of sports and military optics now accounts for only ten percent of sales volume,” Moore noted.
