Afinum 9 has acquired a majority stake in Christian Koenen Group, the global technology leader for high-precision premium stencils and screens for technical printing and partners up with founder Christian Koenen to drive the next growth phase of the Company. This acquisition marks the fifth platform investment by the Afinum 9 fund since the beginning of its investment period in October 2021 and intends to leverage on the extensive industry experience and know-how from the current investment in GS Swiss PCB and the past investment in Garz & Fricke Group.

Christian Koenen Group is the global technology and European market leading specialist for developing and manufacturing high-precision premium stencils and screens for technical printing. Stencils and screens as mission critical tools are broadly applied in production and assembly processes e.g. in the chip / semiconductor component production or in the assembly of printed circuit boards (PCB). The Company operates as a one-stop provider for precision tools covering the entire value chain and stands out with state-of-the-art production capabilities in Germany and Hungary, excellent customer service and a fully equipped clean room and application center. With highest product quality, recognized reliability and short delivery times, Christian Koenen Group has become a trusted partner of an established blue-chip customer base from a diversified mix of verticals including the semiconductor, automotive, electrical manufacturing services, and medical technology industries. The Company has been founded in 2003, is headquartered in Ottobrunn (Munich Metropolitan Area) and operates with a workforce of 150 employees.

Together with Christian Koenen and the management team, Afinum intends to support the Company to accelerate recent growth on the back of favorable market trends (e.g. increased share and miniaturization of electronic components in various applications, e-mobility/autonomous driving, larger product variety and shorter product life cycles, reshoring of semiconductor and renewable energy production to Germany/Europe/the US, energy transition towards renewable energies etc.). Furthermore, continued expansion into the semiconductors and medical applications sectors alongside ongoing internationalization are expected to further contribute to the accelerated growth. Also, the transfer of technological know-how into new verticals around renewable energies such as solar modules and fuel cells proposes attractive growth levers.

Christian Koenen, founder and co-owner comments: “Our motto is to be “ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD”. To continue the positive development of the Company, I am pleased to have found a strong partner in Afinum, who is convinced of our company philosophy and who would like to drive the next growth phase of the Company together with us. The roots of KOENEN Group go back to 1968, to the early days of electronics. Since then, the Company has continued to grow and supply precision printing forms to all sectors of the electronics industry worldwide.”