Private Equity
trong competition from strategic investors including OEMs and suppliers, and banks’ pullback from the car industry, are preventing large-scale growth investments and buyouts by private equity investors. Only turnaround investors seeking restructuring cases have been active. But a new generation of car manufacturers can change this in the future.
Seldom has there been so much wealth circulating, in search of attractive investment opportunities. Private equity remains one of the most lucrative investment classes; however the success story does not currently include the car industry. Private equity investments in automotive companies are at present far below average, and falling. That raises questions: why have private equity investors stopped trusting the sector they once loved, and will they return to the auto industry in the future?
Technological change, new business models and macro-economic trends are turning the car industry on its head, leading to a redistribution of profit pools along the value chain. Traditional car manufacturing companies’ profit margins are coming under pressure and strategic investors find themselves forced to restructure their portfolios, in order to remain competitive in the new age of mobility. The car industry is also dependent on highly complex global supply chains and as a result has been more severely affected by production losses caused by wars, pandemics and raw material shortages than other sectors.
More than three years of low returns have resulted in increased debt ratios and tight liquidity positions. Small and medium-sized suppliers have increased their net debts by an average of more than a third in the last few years. Even the major Tier 1 suppliers such as Continental, Bosch, ZF and Schaeffler have had their credit ratings reduced. Consequently, lenders are limiting their exposure to the car industry.
Available loan capital volumes have fallen and interest rates have risen. Traditional banks are cutting back investment in the sector, and alternative loan capital sources do not look much better. Debt funds can invest with a higher risk profile than banks and also sometimes make unsecured commitments. But for these, they need good financial planning and reliable cashflows. Instead, they are confronted with an uncertain outlook and will only get involved on favourable terms, if at all. Asset-based lenders are seen as the most expensive – and therefore the most unpopular – loan capital source.
Due to the synergy potential and longer investment horizons, strategic investors are currently prepared to pay higher purchase prices than financial investors. When prices are at a premium and lenders are unwilling, the value model of buyout funds (purchase price financing through additional debt (leverage) and dividend payments) is no longer sustainable. Other sectors currently provide better returns for private equity because lending conditions are more favorable.
However, carve-outs, succession situations and insolvencies have created many attractive opportunities for turnaround investors in the automotive sector. Strategic investors are put off turnaround companies because of the risk, time and management capacity involved. As a result, turnaround investors find themselves faced with limited competition for target companies.
Reassessing company structures and transferring manufacturing expertise into sustainable and growing product areas sets turnaround companies up for long-term growth. Bolt-on acquisitions and order volumes taken over from insolvent competitors also create economies of scale and improve the negotiating position with customers and suppliers.
For all these reasons, in the private equity space, the automotive sector is currently only attractive to turnaround investors with the necessary expertise. The ability to differentiate between attractive target companies in a fast-changing market, and develop their long-term potential, is essential for investments to succeed. Bringing in the right management capability to realize a company’s operational potential and improve the cost structure, accompanied by a reliable network in the car industry and in the turnaround community, facilitates targeted and efficient restructuring measures and sustainable relationships with all stakeholders.
Venture capital investors are already widely involved with automotive start-ups focused on new technologies and alternative business models, including Vehicle-as-a-Service and shared mobility ventures. As soon as this new generation of companies scales up and their cash flow turns positive, they will be an great fit for growth and buy-out investors’ investment criteria. In this respect venture capital investments can be seen as a precursor to private equity interest.
With greater clarity on what the future of the car industry will look like as time goes on, we expect lenders to regain their confidence and increase their engagement with the mobility industry. Loan-financed investment models will become lucrative again, and growth and buy-out investors will return. For turnaround investors, the intense competition in the car industry and the tremendous pace of development mean there will be no shortage of companies that are left behind and in need of external expertise and capital.
Andreas Rauh joined Berylls Equity Partners as co-founder and managing director in January 2020. Berylls Equity Partners, as the investment company of the Berylls Group, invests in companies in the mobility industry that are in special situations.
Andreas is an expert in private equity, mergers & acquisitions and corporate management.
After ten years in transaction advisory with a focus on medium-sized companies, Andreas moved to the investment sector in 2014. There, he has since accompanied a double-digit number of company acquisitions and sales in a leading role.
Andreas is a business graduate with a diploma from the University of Trier and holds a Master of Science in Business degree from Handelshøyskolen BI.
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Berylls Strategy Advisors GmbH
Maximilianstraße 34
80539 München
Germany
Phone +49 89 710 410 40 – 0
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c/o The Drivery
Mariendorfer Damm 1
12099 Berlin
Germany
Phone +49 30 217 82-116
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The Clubhouse
8 St James’s Square
London, SW1Y 4JU
United Kingdom
Phone +44 73 8080 1960
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Haldenstrasse 1
6340 Baar
Switzerland
Phone +41 41 763 04-00
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a career starter at Berylls Strategy Advisors you can develop yourself from consultant to associate and senior associate, right up to principal and partner. An experienced expert will mentor you personally and will always be glad to see you reach the next level.
If not, we regard that as a personal decision, because, as we said, we don’t have a strict up-or-out principle. Accordingly, we have a very large midfield. This strength at the centre with our senior associates gives us a lot of know-how and strength in the teams and allows our customers to rely on excellent results the Berylls way.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Partner you are responsible for the entire business relationship with one or more customers. You also represent a specific subject area of Berylls – e.g., Digital Strategy, Sales/After Sales Strategy, M&A or Organization Development. You also continue to play an important role in the daily project work: as an expert you are closely engaged with our project teams, optimally networked with the clients and their management, and you visibly bear responsibility.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Principal you are responsible for customers and larger projects or for the management of multiple projects in parallel. You are an important liaison for our clients at their locations. You also contribute towards the business development of Berylls and to the development of new customer relationships and are responsible internally for a specific subject area.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Senior Associate you assume responsibility as a classical project manager for whole projects and their teams. You interact closely with our customers and structure the work packages for Associates, Consultants, and interns. You are also responsible for internal tasks, e.g., in the further development of our intellectual capital.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As an Associate you are responsible for smaller projects or individual modules of larger projects. Alongside the substantive work, you are also responsible for Consultants or interns and your initial engagement in internal task areas contributes to the further development of Berylls.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Consultant you are responsible for individual work packages in our consulting projects. This could involve market, customer and competition researches or workshop preparations, quantitative modelling or the preparation of presentations. You will be supported from the start by experienced Berylls to ensure a steep learning curve. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_btn title=”View all jobs” style=”custom” custom_background=”#ee754f” custom_text=”#ffffff” shape=”square” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fberylls.jobs.personio.de%2F%23company-4330|target:_blank”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Various entry options are open to you as a career starter at Berylls Digital Ventures. We believe in the strength of cross-functional teams to develop products, design business models, attract investors and thus sustainably improve the automobility industry. Because major challenges often demand special motivation. Our product and venture teams also perform so well because they are standing on the shoulders of all the necessary disciplines: these disciplines include venture architects and business developers who assume the business perspective, as well as technical specialists for concept, design and data science, right up to full-stack software development – all roles contribute directly to the success of our ideas. The further development within your discipline follows our clearly defined specialist track from specialist to senior specialist right up to lead specialist. An experienced colleague from the same discipline, the respective Head of Product/Ventures/CTO or a partner will mentor you personally and will always be glad to see you reach the next level. The respective requirements for your application are set out in our open job offers.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As Partner you are responsible for the successful further development of Berylls Digital Ventures. You represent Berylls Digital Ventures with respect to our customers, cooperation partners and investors. For this purpose you have a comprehensive and robust contact network. In addition, you form the interface to other business fields of the Berylls Group.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Within your area you are the central contact partner for our investors, customers, teams and cooperation partners. You actively pursue new business relationships and thus contribute towards the steady further development of Berylls Digital Ventures. In addition, your expertise makes you an important sparring partner for individual product or venture teams.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Lead Specialist, you support our teams with experience and advice, and help wherever necessary with ground-breaking professional decisions. In addition to this, you are responsible in close coordination with a Head of Products / Head of Venturing or Partner for the further development of your specialist team. With your experience, your engagement, and your integrative leadership style, you make an active contribution towards the steady further development of Berylls Digital Ventures, our products, and ventures.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Senior Specialist, you are responsible within a product or venture team for all deliverables of your discipline and oversee the work of junior employees. Wherever interdisciplinary work is required, you are the first contact partner for your colleagues, and find solutions to advance your product or venture to the maximum in a professional and pragmatic manner.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Specialist, you support our product or venture teams in your respective discipline. Personal initiative and independent working play a major role here from the start, which you demonstrate alone and in collaboration with an experienced colleague.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a career starter at Berylls Mad Media, you can proceed from Analyst to Consultant, Associate and Senior Associate up to Principal and Partner. We believe in the strength of cross-functional teams to develop our products and services and thus sustainably improve the transformation of the marketing and sales function of the automotive industry. Therefore, we offer several tracks to develop you into an expert and evangelist who is recognized as such by our customers and whose know-how is highly valued. These tracks include Customer Experience & Service Design, Data-Driven Marketing, Agile Organisational Design, Analytics & BI, MarCom as well as Tech & Architecture. An experienced colleague from the same discipline or a Principal/Partner will mentor you personally and will always be glad to continuously accompany your development.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a partner, you are responsible for the successful development of Berylls Mad Media. You represent Berylls Mad Media to our customers, cooperation partners, and stakeholders. For this purpose, you have a comprehensive and resilient network of contacts. As an expert, you stand for deep know-how in the field of digital transformation of sales and marketing, interacting closely with our project teams and taking visible responsibility.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Principal, you are responsible for the operational business of our product and service development. Within this area, you are a central point of contact for our customers, teams, cooperation partners, and stakeholders. With your industry expertise, you will be a sparring partner for the individual product or program teams and actively contribute to building new business relationships.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Senior Associate, you will take responsibility for entire projects and their teams. In doing so, you will interact closely with our customers within the scope of your professional specialization and lead the customer team. Additionally, you are responsible for further development within your specialization in close coordination with a Principal/Partner. Through your experience, commitment, and integrative leadership style, you will actively contribute to the continuous development of Berylls Mad Media, our products, and our services.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As an Associate, you will take responsibility for sub-projects, individual modules of larger projects as well as the deliverables within cross-functional teams in your subject area. Where interdisciplinary work is helpful, you are the first point of contact within your specialization and develop solutions. You take responsibility for topic areas, lead junior Berylls in terms of content and thus support the continuous development of Berylls Mad Media, our products, and services.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a Consultant, you take responsibility for individual work packages within the scope of your specialization and support our cross-functional teams in developing highly relevant solutions for our clients. You are an expert on your sub-areas and the first point of contact for experienced colleagues and customers. You will continuously develop yourself and take responsibility within the team to further develop the products and services of Berylls Mad Media.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As an Analyst, you support our cross-functional teams and take on tasks independently. You will be supported right from the start by experienced Berylls to ensure a steep learning curve. In doing so, initiative and independent work play a major role right from the start, which you will demonstrate alone and in cooperation with experienced colleagues. You develop yourself and support the development of products and services at Berylls Mad Media.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As a career starter at Berylls Equity Partners you can develop yourself from Investment Analyst up to Investment Director and Partner. An experienced Partner or Investment Director will mentor you personally and will always be glad to see you reach the next level. Our unique and specialized positioning also ensures, however, that we can only give a few select applicants this opportunity. We are mainly looking for hand-picked professionals with broad experience in this business. Our internal structure gives our portfolio companies and our anchor investors the certainty that we can achieve a successful financial, strategic and operative realignment.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As Partner you are responsible for the successful further development of Berylls Equity Partners. You represent Berylls Equity Partners with respect to our customers and network partners. For this purpose, you have a comprehensive and robust contact network that you use to ensure a constantly attractive deal flow, the optimum support of our portfolio companies as well as a value-maximizing exit. In addition, you are responsible for the support of our investors, and form the interface to other business fields of the Berylls Group.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As Investment Director you are responsible for the respective project in close cooperation with the Partner Team. You are the primary contact person at the interface to the seller or buyer side in our transactions. After a successful transaction you accompany companies during the holding period, and then ensure a successful exit process. With your engagement you contribute towards the development of new customer relationships.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As Investment Manager you are independently responsible for larger subject areas (e.g. due diligence, company valuation, financial analysis, business plan compilation) and systematically develop into a project manager.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As Investment Associate you are responsible for individual work packages in all our thematic areas and develop a holistic view of our investment business.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Als Investment Analyst you support us in all areas of our investment business: in the acquisition of companies, in the strategic and operative management of our portfolio companies, and in the sale of companies.
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