Intera invests in Mikeva – provider of care services

Intera Fund I, advised by Intera Equity Partners, invests in Mikeva, one of the leading private providers of care services in Finland. Intera acquires the shares of Mikeva from Ruukki Group Plc together with Mikeva’s current management.

Mikeva is one of the largest private providers of care services in Finland. It provides care, rehabilitation and residential care services for the mentally and physically disabled and the elderly as well as welfare services for children and adolescents. Mikeva’s care centres are located in Northern, Western and Eastern Finland and in the Tampere region. The company is headquartered in Oulunsalo. The estimated turnover for 2008 is approximately EUR 20 million. Mikeva employs over 320 care service professionals.

The transaction aims at growing and further developing the company which has excellent growth prospects and high-quality services.

– Partnering with Intera gives us new opportunities to grow and develop our services. We have already developed our service network actively during the past couple of years. Now, with Intera’s support, we have even better opportunities to expand and provide high-quality services, says Mr Samuli Mäenpää, CEO of Mikeva.
Mikeva is known for the high quality of its services and that will remain the focus also in the future. The company has significant potential for growth as well as for becoming the market leader and number one brand in the Finnish care service sector, describes Mr Tuomas Lang, Managing Partner of Intera Equity Partners.

Intera will make substantial investments to develop Mikeva and targets at significant growth during the coming years. The growth will be mainly generated by expanding the service provision for the municipal sector and through industry consolidation.

The new board of Mikeva will be chaired by Mr Tuomas Lang, Intera’s Managing Partner. Mr Lang acted as the Chairman of the Board of Mehiläinen, the leading private health care company in Finland, in 2003-2006 when the company was in the portfolio of CapMan. In addition to Mr Lang, the Board includes Mr Harri Hollmén from Intera, Ms Inkeri Kerola, Member of Parliament, Ms Minna Laakkonen, owner of Norris Cosmetics, and Mr Jouko Oja, regional manager of Mikeva Western Finland, as representative of the management and personnel.

For further information, please contact:
CEO Samuli Mäenpää, Mikeva Oy, Tel: +358 40 5652717
Managing Partner Tuomas Lang, Intera Equity Partners Oy, Tel: +358 40 5451240

Intera is a new Finnish private equity firm that principally focuses on Finnish companies with sales of EUR 10 to 100 million that have not yet reached their full capacity and have the potential to become leading businesses in their fields. Investors in Intera´s first fund, Intera Fund I, include leading Nordic institutional investors. www.interapartners.fi

Intera invests in Normek – supplier of steel structure frames and glass facades

Intera Fund I, advised by Intera Equity Partners, invests in Normek, one of the leading Nordic suppliers of steel structure frames and glass facades. Intera’s Industrial Advisor and board member of Normek, Erkki Norvio, as well as members of the management will also become new shareholders in Normek.

Expansion of the ownership base is targeted to support Normek’s continued growth and international expansion. Klaus Saarikallio, Pekka Kankaanpää and Jukka Vuori will retain a significant ownership in Normek and continue in their current management positions. The targeted growth is expected to offer interesting new opportunities for Normek’s employees, as well as create new jobs.

”Normek has grown significantly over the last 10 years. We believe that Intera as a shareholder will provide us with strong support in pursuing continued growth and international expansion”, says Klaus Saarikallio, CEO of Normek.
”Normek and its employees have done an excellent job in developing Normek into one of the leading Nordic companies in its field. We believe that the evolution of the steel structure frame industry together with Normek’s strong market position will form a solid platform for the company’s growth in the Nordic region and the neighbouring markets”, comments Jokke Paananen, Partner at Intera.
Normek is a leading manufacturer and supplier of steel structure frames for non-residential buildings, steel bridges, and facade systems for commercial and office buildings. The main markets are Finland, Sweden and Russia. Normek had sales of €81.3 million in 2007. Exports accounted for 48% of sales. The company has 285 employees in Finland and Sweden. ( http://www.normek.fi )

Intera Equity Partners, is a private equity firm focusing on majority investments in Finnish companies with strong growth potential. Typical investment situations are management buy-outs, ownership restructurings in family owned companies, and privatizations. Investors in Intera´s first fund, Intera Fund I, include leading Nordic institutional investors.

Contacs:
Klaus Saarikallio, Normek, CEO, tel: +358 40 556 7678
Jokke Paananen, Intera Equity Partners, Partner, tel: +358 50 300 3737