As part of a structured investor process, SHL-Pielhau-Saric GmbH has taken over the forging operations of Albert Pielhau GmbH & Co. KG. Prior to this, the SHL Group had already acquired the hardening plant, as well as land and property, as part of two asset deals.
Albert Pielhau GmbH & Co. KG, based in Halver, is a long-established metalworking company founded in 1879 as a die-forging workshop and specialising in the hot forming of metal components. Its core activities lie in the fields of forging, welding, induction hardening and forming technology, processing materials such as steel, stainless steel, aluminium and non-ferrous metals. In the forging division, the range of services extends from the production of raw parts through to mechanically machined finished parts and ready-to-assemble sub-assemblies in various batch sizes. Its customers include well-known companies from the commercial vehicle, agricultural machinery and mechanical engineering industries, both in Germany and abroad.
In 2024, the company generated turnover of around €8 million in the forging technology sector with a workforce of approximately 60 employees.
With this acquisition, the SHL Group – which also includes SHL Spezialhärterei Lohe GmbH & Co. KG – is expanding its range of services to include forging technology.
Structured sale process following insolvency filing
On 10 June 2025, the management filed an application with Hagen Local Court for insolvency proceedings under self-administration. Mr Daniel Meintz of the law firm DM was appointed as the (provisional) general representative. Dr Andreas Grund, a solicitor at the law firm AndresPartner, is overseeing the proceedings as the (provisional) administrator.
The team at CVM Capital Value Management GmbH, led by Managing Partner Kai Peppmeier, was exclusively mandated to carry out a structured M&A process. The takeover has secured a going concern solution for the forging division, and 52 of the 60 jobs have been safeguarded.
CVM Team: Kai Peppmeier (Managing Partner), Oliver Lewin (Partner), Maya Thielenhaus (Project Manager)
About the parties involved
SHL Spezialhärterei Lohe GmbH & Co. KG, based in Remscheid (North Rhine-Westphalia), is a medium-sized specialist in the heat treatment and surface finishing of metal components. The company primarily processes technically sophisticated components for sectors such as the automotive industry, mechanical and plant engineering, and other industrial sectors with high load requirements.
DM Rechtsanwaltskanzlei, based in Dortmund, is a law firm specialising in insolvency, reorganisation and restructuring law. It advises companies, managing directors and shareholders in crisis situations, particularly in relation to out-of-court reorganisations, self-administration proceedings and other matters under insolvency law.
AndresPartner mbB is an independent law firm specialising in restructuring, insolvency administration and legal advice, with around 90 staff across 18 offices in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Saxony. Its clients include well-known companies from Germany and abroad, amongst them medium-sized enterprises, financial investors and listed groups from the private and public sectors.
Capital Value Management GmbH is a transaction advisory firm and an independent corporate finance consultancy for companies facing exceptional circumstances, periods of upheaval and restructuring. The firm focuses on supporting transactions involving medium-sized companies in the industrial, retail and service sectors with a turnover of between €10 million and €250 million. CVM designs, supports and coordinates the entire M&A process in close collaboration with its clients’ tax and legal advisers.
