Preqin’s quarterly deal flow data shows that there were 624 private equity-backed buyout deals in Q4 2011, valued at a total of USD56.7bn – an 8% decrease from Q3 2011. Q4 2011 saw 212 exits valued at USD41.2bn, representing a 27% fall from the USD56.3bn of exits in Q3 2011. However, ideal and exit flow are up 18% and 33% respectively as a whole in 2011 compared to 2010. The 624 deals valued at a total of USD56.7bn in Q4 2011 also represents a lower level of activity than in the same period last year, which saw 703 deals with

Albion Ventures has invested in Hilson Moran Holdings Limited to enable the staff of Hilson Moran Partnership Limited (Hilson Moran), an engineering and environmental consultancy, to carry out a GBP5 million MBO and gain independence from the UK subsidiary of Altran Technologies. Hilson Moran provides consultancy in building services, sustainability, facilities management and other services and is firmly established as a leading engineering consultancy to commercial office, data centre, retail, leisure, hotel and residential projects such as “The Gherkin”, Wembley Arena and the Olympic Village at Stratford. The company employs more than 200 staff based in London, Manchester, Farnborough, Abu

EIIB has completed an investment in Rasmala Holdings Limited, an investment bank operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Egypt specialising in asset management, investment banking, brokerage and research. Rasmala was one of the first regional investment banks to be licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority with expertise and relationships in the region maintained through its regulated subsidiaries in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Oman. Rasmala serves a wide range of private and institutional clients including government institutions, corporations, family offices and high net worth individuals. Rasmala employs approximately 140 people in the region. Rasmala has

The Resolute Fund II, LP, an affiliate of The Jordan Company, has acquired Vantage Specialty Chemicals from HIG Capital. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.   Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Vantage is a diversified specialty chemicals producer focused on naturally derived ingredients. The Company supplies more than 1,500 products to a diverse and growing global customer base within the personal care, consumer products, food and industrial end markets. Vantage’s leading market position is a result of its industry-leading formulation capabilities, efficient and flexible manufacturing facilities, technical support and customer service, broad product offering, global reach and seasoned

Award-winning medical technology spin-out company, Ai2 Limited has secured GBP1.75M in a joint investment from managers of the North West Fund for Biomedical, SPARK Impact and MTI Firms, managers of UMIP Premier Fund. The deal, which saw MTI invest GBP950k and SPARK Impact, invest GBP800k, allows the Manchester University spin-out to continue development of its cutting edge technology.   The GBP25m North West Fund for Biomedical is part of the GBP185m North West Fund –an evergreen fund provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to supply debt and equity funding to growing small and

AAIPharma Services Corp has acquired Celsis Analytical Services, a division of Celsis International Ltd that performs material testing services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and manufacturing sectors. “The addition of Celsis Analytical Services will enable AAIPharma to expand its market presence in two key regions. Our combined company will bring a differentiated offering to the contract services market with an integrated development and material testing service model,” says Patrick Walsh, CEO of AAIPharma. “We are excited to integrate Celsis labs’ business with AAIPharma, creating one of the largest and most experienced materials testing businesses in the U.S.” Celsis Analytical Services provides

Middle-market private equity firm American Industrial Partners has completed the purchase of Heil Trailer International from Dover Corporation. Heil Trailer is a global provider of engineered tank and specialty trailers for a diverse range of end markets including oil and gas and infrastructure.  Heil Trailer was founded in Wisconsin in 1901 and is headquartered in Athens, TN. The Company is a global enterprise with three manufacturing facilities located in North America and facilities in both Thailand and Argentina which address the growing emerging markets of Asia and Latin America.  The Company’s products include liquid, dry-bulk and specialty trailers.  Concurrent with the transaction

An affiliate of Sun European Partners, the European adviser to Sun Capital Partners, Inc, has acquired Kobusch-Sengewald, an international producer and processor of custom-designed plastic packaging from Pregis Corporation. Kobusch Sengewald is a leading provider of high value, bespoke, plastic-based flexible and semi-rigid packaging solutions to the food, chemical, hygiene product and medical sectors. The business benefits from its unique technical capabilities, custom-made product offering, and geographical presence providing a “one-stop-shop” of tailored solutions to customers across multiple jurisdictions. Kobusch Sengeweld employs over 1,100 employees across six sites located in Germany, Egypt and the United Kingdom. The Company’s range of