Wegmann automotive acquires valve business from Alligator Ventilfabrik

Wegmann automotive, the company behind the Hofmann Power Weight and Perfect Equipment wheel balancing weight and the Hofmann Power Solutions battery bushings brands, has acquired the valve business of Alligator Ventilfabrik GmbH. Under the terms of the agreement reached between the two firms, Wegmann automotive will take ownership of Alligator sales and distribution operations for passenger car and heavy-duty truck tyre valves as well as for TPMS sensors and tools in both Europe and North America.

The Alligator brand name will be retained, and Wegmann automotive states that the manufacture of Alligator products will continue at the existing production site in Europe. The new Alligator Germany distribution facility, located in Trennfeld Bavaria, will also continue and maintain all distribution operations. European sales and ordering responsibilities will be taken on by the existing Wegmann automotive GmbH facility, located in Veitshöchheim, Bavaria, along with the Alligator employees who previously held this remit.

The Alligator North American distribution facility, located in Wixom, Michigan, will also continue to maintain all staff and distribution operations. North American sales and ordering responsibilities will fold into the existing Wegmann automotive USA facility, located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

“Adding the 100-year-old Alligator brand name to our already existing portfolio of brands is a great opportunity for Wegmann automotive,” said Jeff Waechter, president and chief executive officer of Wegmann automotive USA, Inc. “The high-quality products that Alligator delivers to the market are complementary to our existing offer, and through joint efforts of our combined teams, we will be able to increase the overall value we deliver to our customers.”

Wegmann automotive has acquired a number of competitors over the years. Italian balancing weights firm Remog S.p.A. entered the Wegmann fold in 2016. Prior acquisitions by parent company the Wegmann Group include Dionys Hofmann in 1982 and Franken Industrie in 2004.