In 1996, Münchmeyer Petersen & Co. had an interesting opportunity to acquire the renowned Hamburg trading company Coutinho Caro + Co (CCC). The company had gone through insolvency in the early 1990s and had subsequently been taken over by the Bremen-based Vulkan. CCC was mainly active in steel and machinery trading, but could not develop as hoped in the Bremer Vulkan Verbund, which was also sliding into a crisis.
Münchmeyer Petersen & Co. recognised the company's potential and embarked on comprehensive restructuring and reorganisation measures. As early as 1998, a major Mexican steel producer and warehouse trader was won as a strategic partner for the steel trading business. This partnership significantly strengthened CCC's position in international steel trading and led to an economic revival that made it possible to orchestrate a merger with the much larger steel trading business of Ferrostaal AG in 2008. This merger created one of the world's largest international steel traders with an annual sales volume in the order of 1.7 bn euros. Synergy effects and a broader market coverage helped CCC to serve all important markets and increase its competitiveness. With an average return on equity of over 25% per year, the company's financial stability was secured and a level of profitability that stood out against the competition was created.
After the successful transformation of a formerly insolvent company into a market leader in international steel trading, Münchmeyer Petersen & Co. was able to successfully sell the investment.
Dr. John Benjamin Schroeder
Managing Partner
