Metrika invests in motorcycle sector by acquiring Sefo

METRIKA’s fifth investment is in the high-end motorcycle parts and accessories manufacturer SEFO

Milan, 11 November 2022 – The Private Equity Metrika, led by partners Marco Giuseppini and Nicola Pietralunga, has completed its fifth investment by acquiring the majority stake of Sefo, active in the design, manufacture and distribution of high-end components and accessories for professional and road racing motorbikes, sold mainly in the aftermarket through its own brand “CNC Racing”. The founding families, Fornaini and Secondini, will remain in Sefo’s capital with a minority stake, ensuring operational and managerial continuity.

Founded by Franco Fornaini and Dario Secondini in 1995 in Ponte Alla Chiassa (Arezzo), SEFO started as a company active in precision mechanical machining for the goldsmith and jewelry industry. Thanks to Luca Fornaini, Franco’s son, SEFO then headed into the market of high-performance components for the motorcycle industry.

Today SEFO is internationally recognized as a partner of excellence for the most sophisticated motorbikes, touring sports and super sport brands. Its components, characterized by very high-quality standards and tested by numerous professional riders, are used by some of the MotoGP teams.

SEFO is now beginning a further expansion phase, alongside Metrika, whose main goals will be:

• Expanding its production capacity by enlarging its production site in Italy;
• Exploiting further growth opportunities through a targeted M&A strategy, aimed at fully internalizing the production process and consolidating its market position;
• Enlarging its technical solutions to break into new market segments;
• Developing its product portfolio by focusing on custom components for brands covering the largest share of the international market. Luca Fornaini, CEO of SEFO, said “Alongside Metrika, we want to mark the beginning of a new and further phase of growth and consolidation thanks to the Fund’s strong industrial vocation and its attention on those non-traditional market approaches that have allowed us to grow strongly in recent years”

According to Marco Giuseppini and Nicola Pietralunga of Metrika “This fifth investment was driven by the high technical know-how shown by the company and by the management’s vision of implementing a winning and innovative go-to-market strategy which allowed CNC Racing brand to establish itself in more than 80 countries worldwide. In fact, SEFO stands out for its brand identity and the high quality of its components, used in the world’s most important motorcycle competitions. Metrika’s goal will be to support SEFO in its further expansion phase, aiming not only at organic growth but also at a targeted M&A strategy aimed at consolidating the Italian market, which is still very fragmented.”

Metrika was assisted by Roberto Rio, Elmar Zwick, Elisabetta Pero, Priscilla Conti, Francesco Bernardi and Veronica Nole of the law firm LMCR for legal and contractual aspects, by Domenico D’Elia and Tommaso Sacchi of Studio Poggi & Associati for the tax aspects of the transaction, by Davide Bordo and Renato Vigezzi of Accuracy for accounting aspects, by Duccio Vitali, Luca Bosco, Alessandro Iodice, Federica Spedalieri, Matilde Arcari and Francesco Carpi of Alkemy for the business aspects, by Tommaso Dalledonne of Big Brokers for the insurance aspects, by Francesco Dubini, Adele Fusi, Giulio Benelli, Daniele Penati, Massimo Pozzoli and Filippo Majeli of Ambrosetti for the environmental and ESG aspects, by Simone Strocchi and Daniela Deghi of Electa for the structuring aspects of the deal and by Alessandro Azzolini, Maria Antonella Lenza, Marta Colmegna e Sebi Cosentino of PwC for the debt advisory.

The founding families were assisted by Sante Maiolica, Giovanni Menna and Giovanni Marcato of Grant Thornton as sell-side advisors and Domenico Mastrangelo and Andrea Lino of the law firm Lexalia for contractual aspects.

The transaction has been funded by Cassa Centrale (as MLA & Agent Bank), with a team composed by Christian Travaglia e Michele Leonardi. Cassa Centrale was assisted by Pasquale Bifulco of law firm Shearman & Sterling.

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