Munich – Wahtari GmbH (hereinafter „Wahtari“) has established nLine GmbH (hereinafter „nLine“) to take in investment by HELU Kabel GmbH (hereinafter „HELUKABEL“).
The object of nLine is the optical quality control of cables, wires, steel cables, pipes and hoses. As part of the investment documentation, it has been agreed, among other things, that Wahtari will make its self-developed AI software and technical know-how available to nLine for the area of cables, wires, steel cables, pipes and hoses, and that HELUKABEL will open up its worldwide distribution network for nLine. In this way, it is hoped that a global reach for nLine will be quickly achieved, including in the area of support. Already, nLine products are in demand worldwide, including in the USA. The parties have agreed not to disclose the volume of the transaction.
The Wallberg team consisting of the founders Manuel Brühl, Dr. Arno Malcher and Dr. Simon Sabel provided comprehensive legal and tax advice to Wahtari on the project. In particular, Wallberg & Cie.’s distinctive interface expertise in the areas of tax, IT law and transactions was fully utilized in assisting Wahtari. In addition to tax structuring and corporate law, questions of legally secure licensing of the AI software are central.
„The key challenge was to license out Wahtari’s AI software, which can be used comprehensively and in a wide variety of industries, to nLine accurately and stably, but at the same time flexibly for different scenarios in a very specific narrowly defined market,“ says AI expert Dr. Malcher. „Of course, clean tax structuring is then always crucial, especially also to avoid dry-income effects,“ adds tax expert Brühl. „The fascinating thing about this transaction is that here a very young and extremely innovative company is attracting the investment of a long-established hidden champion and thus also taking a strong step in the field of digital transformation – putting this into a robust and at the same time precise documentation and negotiating it in a targeted manner with all parties involved was a great pleasure,“ says transaction expert Dr. Sabel.
Wahtari, based in Munich, Germany, develops and sells AI-based image recognition systems for precise quality control and automation tasks. The company supplies the coordinated hardware and software components from a single source in order to fully exploit the potential of AI technology. For their customized complete solutions, Wahtari’s experts combine state-of-the-art technologies and in-depth knowledge of IT security, software development, and artificial intelligence with versatile industry experience. In doing so, they rely on both conventional image recognition algorithms and deep learning.
The HELUKABEL Group, headquartered in Hemmingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is a leading international manufacturer and supplier of cables, wires and cable accessories. Founded in 1978, the family-owned company has developed broad expertise and in-depth know-how in many industries and key technologies over the years. Today, products and solutions from HELUKABEL can be found in a wide variety of applications: from mechanical and plant engineering as well as industrial automation, oil, gas and chemicals to building technology, infrastructure, mobility and renewable energy supply. With 63 locations and around 2,200 employees in 39 countries, the company is a reliable and responsive partner for its customers worldwide.
Advisor Wahtari
Wallberg Law Tax Advisory GmbH & Cie. KG
StB Manuel Brühl, Tax
Dr. Arno Malcher, IT-Law, Commercial
Dr. Simon Sabel, Transactions, Corporate
Advisor HELUKABEL
Deloitte Legal Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH: Michael Schneider (Partner Corporate/M&A)
Deloitte GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft: Georg Trischberger (Partner Tax)
About Wallberg & Cie.
Wallberg Law Tax Advisory GmbH & Cie. KG is a specialized legal and tax consultancy based in Munich. The founders combine their enthusiasm for legal and tax advice with a strong technological and digital DNA. Wallberg & Cie. focuses on corporate law, tax law and law of the digital world with a focus on digitalization, transactions and international aspects. Wallberg & Cie.’s expertise is regularly in demand for complex projects, especially in the area of digital transformation.
