Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, has signed an agreement to sell Gantner Electronic Austria Holding GmbH to SALTO Systems, a leading manufacturer of access control and electronic locking solutions. The parties have agreed not to disclose the details of the transaction.
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Nueziders, Austria, Gantner is a leading European manufacturer of systems that enable automatic and contactless identification based on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and NFC (Near Field Communication) technology.
Gantner systems comprise integrated solutions for membership and visitor management, cashless payments, time recording in business organisations and security. Its customers include companies in sectors including visitor attractions, education, fitness and corporate.
Since Ardian’s acquisition of a majority stake in 2016, Gantner has pursued the strategy of providing its customers with integrated one-stop-shop solutions comprising proprietary developed and manufactured hardware and software through targeted investments in research & development as well as the expansion of the product range.
In June 2017, the product portfolio was expanded to include ticketing and management software for leisure facilities with the acquisition of Syx Automations. This was followed by the acquisition of Contidata in June 2020, with which Gantner expanded its offering to include market-leading cashless payment systems for company cafeterias.
As part of its ongoing international expansion, the company was able to increase its market share – in particular in the USA, the United Kingdom and the Benelux countries – and, as a result, since 2015 has been able to double in size and increase its workforce from 200 to 450.
Headquartered in Spain and with more than 750 employees in offices spanning 32 countries, SALTO is a global leader in the development and manufacture of world-class access control solutions, particularly in sectors where security is critical
The company revolutionised access control with a pioneering approach that featured the first stand-alone battery-powered electronic lock; the SALTO Virtual Network (SVN) data-on-card technology; and the first wireless access control system that combined a stand-alone locking device with online, real-time capabilities – all without using wires or mechanical keys.
The company has expanded its portfolio to include software management, cloud solutions, and mobile applications. With the addition of the Gantner portfolio, SALTO will now have the combined strength and joint capacity of one million access points annually.
“The collaboration with Ardian as an entrepreneurial partner was a true success story. During the last four years, we have been able to stay on our steep growth curve and double our size,” explains Elmar Hartmann, CEO of Gantner. “With innovative products and integrated solutions for contactless access, ticketing and billing systems as well as flexible workspaces, we are a global player that significantly shapes the market in our segments.
“Thanks to the new partnership with Salto, we can expand our product portfolio, take advantage of important synergies, better target our markets and address customer segments with precision. This puts us in an optimal position to continue our dynamic growth. I would like to thank Ardian for their excellent cooperation, which was both inspiring and respectful, and look forward to continuing the successful development of our company together with SALTO.”
Responding to Hartmann’s comments with equal enthusiasm, Javier Roquero, SALTO co-founder and CEO, notes: “We are very excited to welcome Gantner to the SALTO family. The Gantner product suite enriches and diversifies the SALTO product offering, will enhance our end user experience, and will improve our ability to continue to deliver the absolute best in electronic access control.”
While the coming years are filled with optimism and excitement, Gantner is keen to emphasise that clients can expect to receive the same experience as before the takeover but with added capacity for innovation and growth during the new SALTO-run era.
Dirk Wittneben, managing director at Ardian, responsible for the investments of the expansion team in the DACH region, adds: “We are proud to support Gantner in its internationalisation, important strategic acquisitions and the development of new industries and customers. As a result, the company was able to expand its product range to similar application areas and significantly expand its geographic coverage. We thank the management and the employees for their trust and cooperation and are convinced that SALTO is the perfect fit for the future development of the group.”
