KWC Group

A designer and manufacturer of fittings and accessories for kitchens, bathrooms and washrooms.

Formerly a division of the Franke Group, KWC Group designed and manufactured fittings and accessories for kitchens, bathrooms and washrooms. The group comprised four business units: KWC Professional, serving the commercial sector and public infrastructure projects; KWC Home, focused on the residential property sector; KWC Medical for the healthcare sector; and Nokite, a China-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and designer of stainless-steel faucets.

VALUE CREATION

Equistone has worked alongside the management team to support initiatives, which have included:

• Establishing the former division of Franke Group as an independent business following its carve-out and subsequent rebrand to KWC Group.
• Implementation of new state-of-the-art greenfield IT structure and ERP system post-carve-out.
• MBI with a management team of three external sanitary industry experts. Additionally, changes were made to further strengthen the management team.
• The acquisition of Newcastle Joinery Ltd, a UK specialist in sanitary solutions, by KWC Professional in 2024.
• Positioned all four business units for separate exits to strategic buyers. 

THE EXIT

Capitalising on the strengths of the individual business units, each was sold separately to strategic buyers in 2024 and 2025. KWC Medical was acquired by Alumbra Group, KWC Home by Paini S.p.A. Rubinetterie and its OEM division, Nokite EcoSmart Water Heating Systems, was sold to Franke Group. The sale of KWC Professional to DELABIE marked the final exit of Equistone’s Fund VI investment in KWC Group.