Ermewa, the freight railcar leasing company, has moved to new hands. The old owner, SNCF Group, has sold the company to a German-Canadian consortium comprised of companies DWS and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).

The French state railway company has sold all its Errmewa shares to DWS and CDPQ, which will now equally own the company and its subsidiaries. The transaction took place following consultation with customers, the EU Commission and the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery.

As for Ermewa’s new owners, DWS is a German asset manager investing in infrastructure since 1994. It gives investors access to economic sectors such as transportation and telecommunications. CDPQ, on the other hand, is an investment group based in Canada and active in markets like infrastructure and real estate. Currently, it aims to expand in the European market, and the purchase of Ermewa is part of this plan.

For a more competitive future

Ermewa’s role in the supply chain and rail freight industry is known. The company is active in the field of railcar and tank container leasing with a fleet of 100,000 assets. It has 40 international offices and serves over 1,00 customers in 80 countries. “With CDPQ and DWS now effectively onboard, Ermewa is set to express its potential in the coming years fully. Our strategic focus remains on growth, innovation, safety, and customer-oriented solutions and will go intensified with the support of CDPQ and DWS,” commented David Zindo, president of Ermewa holding.

However, Ermewa is not the only one benefiting from the deal. With the company’s sale, SNCF will get rid of a substantial part of its dept. “This operation leads to a reduction of the SNCF group’s net debt by approximately 3.2 billion euros and will help achieve the objective of maintaining the SNCF group’s financial trajectory,” said Jean-Pierre Farandou, chairman and CEO of SNCF.