Expansion of market leadership position in the field of 3D/2D timber construction software: Bregal becomes SEMA’s new majority shareholder

2022 is still young but we are already announcing our second platform investment. Once again, Bregal Unternehmerkapital (“BU”) has partnered with a fast-growing software company that has established itself as a market leader in its field, as funds advised by BU have acquired a majority shareholding in SEMA GmbH. SEMA offers software solutions and supplementary services in the timber construction industry, in stairwells and for the sheet fabricating business, with a fully integrated ERP and CRM solution. It is considered a European market leader, particularly for 3D CAD/CAM applications. In the future, the Bregal Team is looking forward to supporting the company with its continued internationalization, as it exploits new market potential. 

Headquartered in Wildpoldsried in the Allgäu region of southern Germany, with further locations in France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, SEMA was founded around 40 years ago and currently has approximately 90 employees. SEMA’s programs are available in eleven languages and are used by more than 10,500 customers in 54 countries, especially for the planning, visualization and manufacturing of buildings, roofs and facades.

Timber construction is on the rise, particularly in residential construction, and offers clear advantages in terms of resource efficiency – SEMA again enjoyed two-digit growth last year, largely thanks to this continued positive dynamic. Together with the newly developed group of investors, the company is now seeking to expand its international presence. The plan also includes additional investment in software development in order to safeguard the sustainability of the company’s technology leadership position, the expansion of the company’s product portfolio to become an integrated solution provider, as well as the continued professionalization of sales and support.

The shares are being sold by LEA Partners from Karlsruhe; the existing shareholder VIA Equity from Denmark and long-term CEO Alexander Neuß have retained stakes in the company. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022.

We are looking forward to our collaboration with SEMA and our fellow partners in an exciting, future-proof market and to working together to support SEMA’s growth.