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NEW YORK and SEOUL, South Korea, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Noble Four Partners (NFP), an established investor and operator based in New York, today announced a separate account equity commitment from Kanglim Co., Ltd (Kanglim), an operating company based in Seoul, South Korea for $150 million, resulting in total estimated acquisition capacity of $500 million.
NFP will pursue an investment strategy focused on North American based industrial and manufacturing control investments. Kanglim seeks to make a series of arms-length investments with NFP, which will allow for U.S. centric direct ownership, operational oversight and in-market experience.
These investments will provide the basis for Kanglim's senior management and leadership team to both observe and participate in operations at the ownership and board level, while still allowing for existing management teams to retain direct operational control and flexibility. NFP expects to build sector specific platforms over several years with a focus on creating long-term value through partnering with exceptional management teams.
Kanglim and its shareholders have access to additional capital for this effort and the company will lend technical, manufacturing, and Asia specific market assistance.
"NFP has worked with Korean investors and operators for the past several years as they have built pan-regional businesses and we are now directly partnering with them in the pursuit of outbound investment and growth opportunities in North America," said Stephen Merchant, Co-Managing Partner of NFP.
"Working with Kanglim, its investors and management team is an exciting process as we incorporate an operational perspective and long-term investment horizon into the private equity investing model. South Korean foreign direct investment reached a 6-year high of $5.66 billion in 2016 and all indications are that this trend will continue given expanded overall Asian investment activity, led by Chinese firms which completed $68.2 billion in 2016 M&A deals," stated Merchant.
Mark Tomassini, Co-Managing Partner of NFP, noted, "Korea is a world leader in research and development and its investors and operators will desire direct access to North American markets. Kanglim's management team opted to gain this initial exposure through developing a specific investment thesis with NFP which will allow them to slowly gain market exposure in a measured way, with limited risk to their current operations."
"We are very excited to work with NFP on investing in North America, as it is critical for Kanglim and our associated companies, as well as the long-term growth prospects of Korea. Our leadership team is committed to this effort and expect to learn much through the investing process," stated Mr. Ki-Tae Kim, Vice Chairman, SBW Group, which oversees M&A for Kanglim.
Kim went on to explain, "The maturity and growth of midsized Korean strategic operators requires international growth and expansion to support key customers and investing with NFP is an essential step in that process."
NFP is currently evaluating investment opportunities under this new mandate.
About Kanglim.
Kanglim is an industrial manufacturer that is controlled by Callas Holdings (Callas) which is a private holding company that owns and operates a broad range of industrial companies based in South Korea. Current KOSDAQ listed equity positions held by Callas include Kanglim Co., Ltd., SBW, Inc., and Nanos Co., Ltd.
About Noble Four Partners.
Noble Four is a group of investment and operational professionals that identifies critical changes in sector business models with the potential to create significant value. Noble Four has offices in New York and Chicago and participates as a general partner for institutional, strategic, and individual investors. For more information, visit http://www.noblefourpartnersllc.com
This release does not constitute an offer of any Noble Four Partners Fund.
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