Our Corporate team has advised the shareholders of Jaltek Holdings Limited, one of the UK's leading providers of advanced electronics manufacturing and design services ("EMS") and box build services to highly regulated and mission-critical industries (including the defence, aviation, space, marine, scientific instrumentation and oil and gas sectors), on their sale to Norautron AS, a Norwegian electronics manufacturing group backed by Nordic private equity house Norvestor and with branches in Norway, Sweden, Poland, China and the USA.

Gowling WLG advised the shareholders on both the pre-sale reorganisation, option scheme, National Security & Investment Act ("NSIA") and auction sale process. The matter brought together lawyers from the firm's Corporate, Tax and Incentives and Competition and NSIA teams to deliver coordinated advice across all aspects of the transaction.

Our M&A team was led by Corporate Partner Ragi Singh and Senior Associate Vic Sewak and included Associate Holly Marsh and Trainee Will Dudley (Corporate), with further support from Partners Amar Adatia (Head of Solvent Reorganisations), Kate Featherstone (Head of Corporate Tax and Incentives) and Samuel Beighton (Competition and NSIA).

Anmol and Pravin Sood, majority shareholders in Jaltek commented: "We had not worked with Gowling WLG before but decided to appoint them for our sale after our first meeting with Ragi Singh. During that meeting, Ragi immediately identified how we could materially enhance the price we received for Jaltek - an insight not previously raised by any of our other advisers. In our view, that advice alone more than covered our legal fees.

"As the process progressed, we quickly realised that Gowling WLG brought significant expertise in some of our key sectors including defence, aviation and aerospace, and particularly in EMS, box builds and printed circuit boards (PCB). Their global reach and experience were invaluable, especially when handling negotiations with both domestic and overseas bidders, including those from India, given Ragi’s role as India lead for Gowling WLG.

"Gowling WLG’s team expertly guided us through the complexities of a pre-sale reorganisation, option scheme, trust structures, and a split exchange and completion. Their responsiveness, tenacity, and depth of resource were evident throughout. Vic Sewak was truly exceptional, and the specialist tax / incentives, W&I and NSIA teams played a crucial role in helping us navigate some challenging issues.

"This transaction was extremely important to us, and we are delighted we entrusted Gowling to deliver it. We would have no hesitation in using Ragi, Vic and the team for our future M&A work."

The acquisition combines Jaltek's proven strengths in design support, new product introduction and complex electronics manufacturing with Norautron's international manufacturing footprint, creating a powerful platform for future growth and expanded customer capability.

Gowling WLG is a leading international law firm, helping businesses, investors and entrepreneurs achieve their strategic objectives. Its Corporate team advises on the full spectrum of corporate transactions, from mergers and acquisitions and investments through to restructurings and exits, supported by specialists from across the firm.