CAPZA announces the acquisition of a majority stake in Avignon Ceramic, a company specialising in the manufacture of ceramic cores for lost-wax foundries used in terrestrial reactors and gas turbines. CAPZA will invest in Avignon Ceramic through its small cap fund CAPZA Transition*, which is making its 13th investment.

A long-standing player in the ceramics industry since 1870, Avignon Ceramic designs and produces ceramic cores and technical parts, mainly for critical engine components used in civil and military aeronautics, the power generation market and the medical sector. The company’s customers include some of the world’s biggest players, particularly in the latest generations of aeronautical and land-based turbines.

Over more than 30 years, Avignon has built up its customer base to become one of the world’s leading players in its industry, providing top-notch reliability and quality that consistently meet the highest technical and service standards. The company, which recently joined Rolls Royce’s HPSG (High Performing Supplier Group), expects to achieve over €12 million in sales by 2023.

Through this transaction, CAPZA supports the company’s development strategy by acquiring a majority stake alongside its management team (Chairman Philippe Coulon and his management committee), who are reinvesting on this occasion. This transaction aims to support the ramp-up of customer production across all ranges of civil and military engines and the energy sector. External growth opportunities are being examined to enable the Group to strengthen its expertise and diversify its geographical base. The project will also allow the Group to pursue cutting-edge developments in technologies such as 3D printing.

“We are delighted to participate in this new stage of Avignon Ceramic’s development. We believe in the company’s strong growth potential, which has established itself as a leading player thanks to its unique expertise in complex manufacturing processes and the quality of the products and services it provides.” – Emmanuel Bonnaud, Managing Partner, CAPZA Transition SAS.

“We are delighted to welcome CAPZA as a new majority shareholder at a key moment in our development. Thanks to its expertise in supporting SMEs and its solid European network, we will be able to strengthen our strategic position in the ceramic cores market and look to expand internationally to round out our offering.” – Philippe Coulon, Chairman, Avignon Ceramic.