Rollon

 

Company description

Rollon designs, produces and markets short and medium series of customised linear guides, actuators and systems for industrial automation, as well as logistics, transport and medical applications. Founded in Italy in 1975 near Milan, Rollon quickly developed a significant international presence where it now generates the vast majority of its turnover. This growth continued over time with the establishment of subsidiaries in Europe, led first by the founding family and then by its management.

Context of the investment

The high quality of the management team, coming from large multinational groups and offering a clear vision and ambition for the company, the firm’s exceptional performance and its potential for significant organic growth linked to the market outlook convinced Chequers to invest in Rollon in November 2013. The plan was to resume investments in the product, commercial and marketing resources needed to generate international growth, with the aim of transforming a small and dynamic company into a global leader positioned in the promising areas of automation and robotics.

Role of Chequers

Close collaboration with the Vimercate and Dusseldorf teams laid the foundations for achieving this ambition. This transformation was made possible by the constant dialogue between the teams and Chequers on transversal, company-transforming matters, selective acquisitions and a constant focus to invest in the group's long-term growth.

Results

The group today has a local presence in 10 countries on 4 continents. Under Chequers’ ownership, Rollon has acquired one company every year to extend its product range and such targets were successfully integrated, both from a commercial and an industrial standpoint. During this period, Rollon has extended its product offering and strengthened its team in order to reach a wider addressable market. Thanks to these developments, the constant focus on operational performance and an organic growth regularly above double-digit, sales and EBITDA of the company have doubled in 4 years. Many projects are still under review to pursue the growth story of the company, focusing on international development, industry 4.0 and automation, as well as more significant build-up opportunities. Rollon was acquired by the American industrial group Timken in September 2018.