KraussMaffei Said to Hire Goldman Sachs to Explore Sale

KraussMaffei Group, the German maker of machinery for processing plastics that is owned by Madison Capital Partners, is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) to find a buyer, people familiar with the process said.

The company, which employs 3,900 and was previously owned by KKR & Co. and Siemens AG (SIE), may fetch as much as 700 million euros ($883 million) based on an initial assessment, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. Information has been sent out to potential bidders, which include private equity firms and trade buyers, they said.

Formerly known as MPM Mannesmann Plastics Machinery GmbH, KraussMaffei was sold to Madison in 2006, according to the German company’s website. The machinery maker had earnings before tax, interest, depreciation and amortization of 71 million euros and sales of 950 million euros in the year ending Sept. 30, 2007, the last year the Munich-based company disclosed figures.

German takeovers are on track to miss last year’s muted levels as the sovereign debt crisis weighs on corporate appetite to do deals. Still, several buyout firms are selling industrial companies in Europe’s largest economy. Capvis Equity Partners AG is selling Bartec Holding GmbH, a maker of explosion-resistant switching and signaling gear, and IK Investment Partners is disposing of industrial weighing equipment maker Schenck Process GmbH, according to people familiar with the processes.

EQT Partners AB, a Swedish buyout firm, last week agreed to buy bandages-supplier BSN Medical in Germany’s largest buyout since July 2008, stoking optimism among private equity firms and bankers that deals can get done.

KraussMaffei spokesman Imre Szerdahelyi declined to comment. Spokespeople for Madison in the U.S. couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

KraussMaffei Group is unrelated to Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH, the German armored vehicle maker.

To contact the reporters on this story: Aaron Kirchfeld in Frankfurt at akirchfeld@bloomberg.net; Sheenagh Matthews in Frankfurt at smatthews6@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Benedikt Kammel at bkammel@bloomberg.net