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

GCP Capital Partners has acquired World Trade Group (WTG), an international provider of business-to-business events, training and online lead generation services, in a GBP27.5m management buy-out.   WTG was founded in 1997 by Victor Lewis and the current CEO, Andrew Brown, and runs a broad portfolio of large-scale business summits in Europe, North America and Asia. The company also has a fast-growing portfolio of online products and technical training courses. WTG is focused on global growth sectors such as energy and pharmaceuticals and was recently featured in the Sunday Times International Track 100 as one of the UK’s fastest-growing international

The Chicago-based private equity firms Promus Equity Partners and Generation3 Capital have purchased certain assets of LogicMark, a company that makes personal medical alarm systems.Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Logicmark produces communication devices for the personal emergency response system (PERS) industry, including two-way emergency communication pendants and related accessories. The company was founded by Mark Gottlieb in 2006 and has rapidly gained new customers in the security dealer, durable medical equipment distributor and governmental agency channels. Promus partnered with Generation3 Capital, LLC to complete this acquisition on 30 December, 2011. “The company’s differentiated products and diverse customer base

The Carlyle Group has acquired a 48% stake in Bahcesehir Koleji, a private education provider in Turkey. The existing shareholders, the Yucel and Karatas groups, will remain as significant investors in Bahcesehir. Financial terms of the transaction, which closed on 27 Tuesday December, 2011 were not disclosed. Established in 1994, Bahcesehir Koleji, part of Bahcesehir Education Group, has risen to become one of the largest providers in the nursery, primary and secondary school segments of Turkey’s emerging private education sector. In August 2011, Bahcesehir operated 20 primary schools and 11 secondary schools, serving approximately 12,000 students.   Enver Yucel, Chairman of

The total value of UK mergers, acquisitions, flotations, rights issues and placements was GBP229 billion for 2011, an increase of 11 per cent on 2010, according to Experian Corpfin. The overall volume remained fairly constant, dropping by only two per cent. The value of UK Large transactions (those exceeding £100m in value) where a consideration was disclosed was up by 13 per cent to GBP201 billion in 2011, with the volume of transactions (300) identical year-on-year.   BDO International has been the most active financial advisor by volume with 83 deals, while Citigroup topped the value league with deals worth

Olympus Partners has acquired NPC International, Inc (NPC), the largest Pizza Hut franchisee and the largest franchisee of any restaurant concept in the United States. The company operates 1,153 Pizza Hut units (approximately 19 per cent of the domestic system) in 28 states with significant presence in the Midwest, South and Southeast.   Olympus has a long history of investing in successful restaurant franchisees, including previous investments in the Taco Bell, KFC, Wendy’s, Chili’s and Golden Corral systems. Paul Rubin (pictured) of Olympus Partners says: “We are excited to be partnering with Jim Schwartz, Troy Cook and the rest of

The Gores Group, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, through an affiliate, has signed an agreement to acquire The Hay Group, one of the leading European manufacturers of high precision forged and machined components for engines, gearboxes and axles for the automotive, commercial vehicle and have not been disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in February of 2012, subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approval. Founded in 1925, The Hay Group is headquartered in Bad Sobernheim, Germany, and has nearly 1,600 employees between its three German manufacturing operations sites (Bad Sobernheim, Bockenau and Lüchow). Part of