H.I.G. WhiteHorse Provides Financing to CCE Group

LONDON, Feb. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- H.I.G. WhiteHorse, a credit affiliate of global investment firm H.I.G. Capital ("H.I.G."), is pleased to announce that it has provided a new first lien, senior-secured credit facility for CCE Group ("CCE", or "the Company"), a portfolio company of Hivest Capital Partners ("Hivest"). Based in Paris, France, CCE is an aeronautic platform formed in 2023 following the carveout of Driessen and AviusULD from Safran. The Company focuses on developing companies with leading positions in niche markets within the Cabin & Cargo Equipment space. Driessen is the global leader in galley equipment solutions, including trolleys, containers, skids and drawers, as well as cooling and connectivity systems. AviusULD is a market-leading manufacturer of unit load devices (lower deck and main deck containers, pallets, and spare parts).

Klaus Hofmann, CEO of CCE, and Pierre Mazières, CFO and Corporate Secretary of CCE, commented, "This new financing marks an important milestone in CCE's journey and will provide enhanced flexibility to accelerate our strategic ambitions. Since our carve-out from Safran, we have built a strong and independent foundation. With industry confidence high, we are now ready to accelerate our vision of an integrated cabin and cargo market leader."

Barthélemy Grave, Principal at Hivest, said, "We are very enthusiastic about this new partnership, which opens new opportunities for CCE's development and external growth strategy. We are confident that H.I.G. Whitehorse is a good match and will strongly support the group, and we are glad to collaborate on this promising venture."

Pascal Meysson, Head of H.I.G. WhiteHorse Europe, said, "CCE is an impressive business. We like to support market leaders, and CCE is a strong match as the undisputed global leader in its field. We are grateful for the trust that Hivest and management have placed in us, and we look forward to supporting their continued success."

Charles Bourgeois, Managing Director at H.I.G. WhiteHorse Europe, said, "The significant efforts that Hivest and the management team have made to successfully carve out CCE from Safran and to develop it into a fully independent and thriving business have created significant value. We are thrilled to support CCE and Hivest as they embark on this exciting new chapter of their development, and we are confident that the group will experience sustained growth in the coming years, supported by structural tailwinds."

About CCE Group

Headquartered in Paris and created in 2023 following the carve-out of two Safran businesses (Driessen and AviusULD), CCE (Cabin and Cargo Equipment Group), is an aerospace equipment platform focused on the development of companies with leadership positions in niche markets of the cabin and cargo equipment space. The group's portfolio encompasses AviusULD, the market leader in the unit load devices industry, offering a range of products, including lower deck and main deck containers, pallets, and spare parts. Additionally, Driessen Catering Equipment holds the market leadership in galley equipment solutions, providing a comprehensive suite of products such as trolleys, containers, accessories such as skids and drawers, cooling systems, and connectivity solutions. For more information, visit cc-equipment.com.

About Hivest Capital

With c. €900m under management, Hivest is an independent French private equity firm approved by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. Hivest invests in SMEs or mid-cap companies in Europe and in the US with a turnover between €50m and €500m in the context of buyout or capital expansion projects. Hivest's objective is to help companies reach their full potential by implementing ambitious growth strategies and improving operational performance. For more information, visit hivestcapital.com.

About H.I.G. Capital

H.I.G. is a leading global alternative investment firm with $67 billion of capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco in the United States, as well as international affiliate offices in Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Dubai, and Hong Kong, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to middle market companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/value-added approach:

• H.I.G.'s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations, and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.
• H.I.G.'s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche, and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. also manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.
• H.I.G.'s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices.
• H.I.G. Infrastructure focuses on making value-add and core plus investments in the infrastructure sector.

Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 400 companies worldwide. The Firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $53 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at hig.com.

*Based on total capital raised by H.I.G. Capital and affiliates.

Contact:

Pascal Meysson
Head of H.I.G. WhiteHorse Europe
pmeysson@hig.com

Charles Bourgeois
Managing Director
cbourgeois@hig.com

Andryk Guerrero
Principal
aguerrero@whitehorse.com

H.I.G. WhiteHorse Europe
10 Grosvenor Street
2nd Floor
London W1K 4QB
P: +44 (0) 207 318 5700
hig.com

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