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Benchmark International Named Best Global Middle Market M&A Specialists

Benchmark International has been awarded Best Global Middle Market M&A Specialists 2023 by the prestigious M&A Today Global Awards, which recognize excellence in business on a global scale.This honor is a testament to our achievements and places us among the best in the industry.

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Benchmark International's Kendall Stafford Named Among Top 50 M&A Investment Bankers

Benchmark International’s very own Kendall Stafford has been named to the Top 50 M&A Investment Bankers (Americas Dealmakers) by the Global M&A Network’sM&A Atlas Awards. Kendall is the managing partner of our Austin, Texas, office. You can learn more about her impressive background here.

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News From The Global M&A Network Conference In NYC

Deal Makers from around the Americas got together at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan to discuss the degree to which M&A markets have changed and are likely to change, given the recent and primarily negative changes in external economic factors. A few key takeaways included: 

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Benchmark International Named Best Global Middle Market M&A Specialists 2022

Benchmark International has been named 2022’s Best Global Middle Market M&A Specialists by the Global 100. 

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Benchmark International Successfully Facilitated the Transaction Between Southern Life Systems, Inc. and ADDvise

Southern Life Systems, Inc. (DBA Nurse Rosie), of Savannah, Georgia, designs and provides a wide range of medical devices and products. Nurse Rosie is a market leader in the long-term care medical device market and electronic health record (EHR) connectivity solutions.

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Global M&A Outlook H1 2019

While deal values and volumes are trending downwards in most regions and sectors, investors are still willing to set political and regulatory uncertainty aside to execute big, strategic transactions when opportunities arise. That suggests that activity should remain relatively robust in the months ahead, despite a more challenging deal environment.

Ready to explore your exit and growth options?

The raw data point clearly to a decline in M&A activity across regions and most sectors in the first half of the year. Cross-border activity and the prevalence of mega-deals are also on a downward trend. Yet the picture is a little less stark than the numbers suggest.

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2019 Outlook for the Construction Industry

The outlook for the global construction market for the year of 2019 remains positive, with an expected five-percent sector-wide growth in revenue. Robust economies, low interest rates, and increased infrastructure spending are key factors behind the increased confidence. The world’s fastest growing market is the Asia Pacific region, due to growing investments in China and India’s construction sectors. In North America and Europe, growth is being driven by new technologies in already strong construction markets. Also, a number of South American and Middle Eastern countries may see their markets recover in the coming year and have the potential for growth in the future.

M&A Momentum

Mergers and acquisitions for the construction industry are poised to follow the vigorous deal activity of 2018. Construction tech startups raised $1.27 billion in venture funding in the first three quarters of 2018 alone. Public companies were seeking growth. There was increased interest in individual sectors such as energy. Private equity firms were actively buying and selling. Another significant factor was a need for ownership changes due to a growing retirement-age population. These trends are predicted to continue throughout 2019.

Tech Startups

Construction technology startups are expected to continue to have a considerable impact this year. This industry segment has seen more than $10 billion in funding over the past 10 years, with most of the money coming from early-stage venture capital deals. As these tech companies evolve, bigger firms are making full acquisitions. One strategic reason behind these large acquisitions is for companies to procure more talent in a more efficient manner, which in turn is anticipated to drive business growth.

Smart Cities

Society is seeing a heightened focus on infrastructure upgrades and the creation of smart cities. In 2016, smart-city tech spending reached $80 billion globally. By 2021, spending is expected to grow to $135 billion. Smart cities use Internet sensors and other technologies to connect elements across a city to gather data and enhance the lives of its residents. Partnerships between private and public companies are helping governments incorporate new technologies in an increasingly urbanized world. The advent of smart cities was initially seen in Europe, and now the U.S. has begun to integrate technology into urban infrastructure.

Offsite Construction

The quickly growing modular construction market is projected to reach $157 billion by 2023. The capability to build taller modular buildings is reaching new heights, with some buildings stacking up to almost 20 stories. This offsite type of construction is addressing certain industry needs, such as the need for skilled labor, the need for affordable housing, and the need to complete projects more quickly.

Connected Construction

A rapidly emerging trend that many investors are watching closely is connected construction. Companies are incorporating technology into construction sites to save time and money. Bluetooth connectivity is driving the emergence of new worksite tools that can be tracked, monitored, and even deactivated. Mesh networks are enabling sites to be fully connected to wireless networks in order to streamline processes around obstacles in the way of man-hours, status updates, supply deliveries, blueprint consultations, and more.

These emerging technologies have prompted several recent acquisitions, just to name a few.

  • Autodesk Inc. purchased construction productivity software company PlanGrid for $875 million.
  • Autodesk also spent $275 million to buy BuildingConnected, a networking platform of more than 700,000 construction professionals.
  • Trimble bought construction software company Viewpoint from Bain Capital for $1.2 billion.   

Enlist Our Expertise

If you are interested in buying, selling, creating a growth strategy, or even devising an exit plan for your business, contact Benchmark International to get the expertise that is proven to make successful deals happen around the world every day.

 

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Benchmark International Successfully Facilitated the Acquisition of Columinate (Pty) Ltd. to InSites Consulting (Pty) Ltd.

Benchmark International is pleased to have successfully facilitated the acquisition of Columinate (Pty) Ltd to InSites Consulting (Pty) Ltd.

Columinate (Pty) Ltd (“Columinate”) is a highly awarded marketing research agency that provides quantifiable information to businesses in order to improve decision-making. The brand conducts its work exclusively through digital means – a methodology pioneered by Columinate in South Africa and where the business continues to be a proven leader in the space. The company employs a highly skilled team of over 40 research professionals and boasts a loyal and well-curated client base consisting of a diverse collection of both local and multinational customers.

InSites Consulting (Pty) Ltd (InSites) is recognised among the top 100 largest and top 10 most innovative market research agencies in the world. The agency helps global brands to make better and faster marketing decisions, combining smart digital technology with contemporary marketing methodology. InSites is now present on four continents with eight client service offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, the US, Germany, Romania, Australia and South Africa.

 

Ready to explore your exit and growth options?

 

The transaction sets the groundwork for both businesses to leverage off each other’s mutually advantageous basket of services while instantly expanding InSites footprint and reach into South Africa and the broader African market.

Commenting on this, Andre Bresler of Benchmark International said: “This transaction evidences a defined trend whereby market leading businesses in all sectors have recognised the opportunities the African Market represents in the context of their own global clients and ability to service them internationally. Aside from the powerful synergies, the cultures of the two businesses are wholly aligned and we are equally delighted for Insites and Columinate both”.

On behalf of everyone at Benchmark International, we would like to wish both parties every success for the future.

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Global Mergers and Acquisitions Have Hit New Highs Due to North American Cross-Border Deals

Global mergers and acquisitions have hit the headlines of late due to the value of transactions increasing by a staggering amount – H1 figures by Thomson Reuters revealed that the value of transactions rose by 64 per cent to $2.5 trillion, compared with the same period in 2017, and was the strongest year-to-date period since records began in 1980.

This has since grown to $3.2 trillion so far this year, bolstered last week by spending from North American companies. Such domestic deals included SiriusXM’s $3.5bn deal for digital music provider Pandora Media but its cross-border deals, such as Michael Kors’ acquisition of Versace for $2.2 billion, are proving to be the stars of the catwalk.

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Global M&A Activity to Reach Record Figure of £2.4 Trillion in 2018

Worldwide mergers and acquisition activity will hit £2.4 trillion ($3.2 trillion) next year, as deal-making is elevated on an increasing global economic tide, according to recent forecasts.

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