Kerridge buys Silkmoth
Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) has acquired Silkmoth in as part of the company’s continuing efforts to enhance KCS’s automotive software offerings and e-commerce solutions for the UK and European tyre industry.
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Brembo buys suspension manufacturer Öhlins
Less than three weeks after Brembo sold its Pirelli shareholding, the well-known brake manufacturer has announced that it has bought Sweden-based suspension firm Öhlins for $405 million, (about 370 million euros), paid using “available cash”. The deal is the largest acquisition in Brembo’s history.
CorpAcq acquires exhaust-maker Klarius
The Klarius Group of Companies, which includes Klarius, Emissco, KMT, Autologistiks and TIMEC, has been acquired by private investment firm CorpAcq. No financial details have been disclosed. Company representatives highlighted that there will be “no disruption to daily operations or the team’s existing management structure” as a result of the acquisition.
Doublestar Guangrao factory sold to Huasheng Rubber
Doublestar has sold its Guangrao-based factory, Guangrao Jixing, to Lubo Rubber for 205 million. The two parties signed a Property Rights Transaction Contract in September 2024, confirming what we published in May 2024.
Kerridge buys warehouse management system firm, Vigo
Kerridge Commercial (KCS), a global provider of software for distribution, servicing and rental businesses has completed the acquisition of Vigo Software (Vigo). Vigo designs, builds and hosts Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Transport Management Systems (TMS) for its customers across the UK and Ireland. Vigo’s solutions help businesses reduce transport costs through efficient loading, plan delivery routes, meet transportation deadlines and enhance customer experience through transparent on time delivery.
Norgesdekk buys Dexen AB
Norgesdekk has bought 100 per cent of the shares in the Gothenburg-based Dexen AB through its Swedish holding company NDS Holdco AB. Dexen AB consists of, among others, the tyre and rim wholesaler Dexen Tire Movement AB and Hjulfabriken AB, which specializes in complete wheels for the car trade. Norgesdekk reports that “all employees will continue to participate in the initiative, and two key people will also become owners of NDS Holdco AB together with the current shareholders.”
Nexion agrees to buy Eagle SMF Distributors Pty Ltd
Nexion S.p.A., the holding company of the Nexion Group, has signed an agreement to acquire Eagle SMF Distributors Pty Ltd, that will be finalized “in the next weeks”. Following the acquisition, Eagle SMF will preserve the same current local management and service team to ensure “no change to the customer experience”.
Black Rubber acquires Goodyear retread plant, retail site in Australia
NTAW Holdings Limited, one of the largest players in the Australian tyre market, has acquired a retreading facility and retail site from Goodyear through its subsidiary, Black Rubber Pty Ltd. This acquisition marks a strategic expansion for Black Rubber, strengthening its position in the Australian tyre retreading and related retail market.
Paolo Pompei talks with T&A 1 year after Yokohama TWS acquisition
Roughly a year since our last interview, which focused on how Trelleborg Wheels Systems had been operating since the company’s acquisition by Yokohama, Tyres & Accessories visited the company’s Tivoli, Italy headquarters in order to meet up with Yokohama TWS chief executive Paolo Pompei and to find out more about what has happened in the first year of post-integration business. In the days following our visit, we learnt that Yokohama had agreed to buy Goodyear OTR and that Paolo Pompei has accepted the top job at Nokian Tyres – both headline-grabbing stories that make the timing of our interview all the more prescient. Specifically, Pompei’s description of how the various Yokohama off-highway businesses (ATG, TWS and Aichi – all of which were, of course acquisitions themselves) operate both semi-autonomously and together potentially provides an insight into how the newly-acquired Goodyear OTR operation may be integrated into the Yokohama stable.
DTM management join Caledonia Investments to acquire tyre management firm
Direct Tyre Management Limited (DTM) is under new ownership. Self-managed investment trust company Caledonia Investments plc has acquired a majority stake in the independent outsourced fleet tyre management services provider for £55 million. The DTM management team has reinvested alongside Caledonia to obtain 100 per cent of the business from investors, including Palatine Private Equity.
Malvern Tyres buys Just Tyres
The Tyre Group, which is best known for its Malvern Tyres-branded chain of tyre retail centres, has bought Just Tyres. Financial details have not been released, but Tyres & Accessories understands that the acquisition demonstrates how the top 10 tyre retailer has come of age as a national-level operation and illustrates something of its ongoing plans for development.
TGI buys Avaun Tire Supply of Portland, Oregon
Tire Group International (TGI) has acquired Avaun Tire Supply, a wholesale distributor based in Portland, Oregon. Avaun and TGI have been partners in this venture since Avaun was founded in 2016 by Sherko Rasouli and Freddie Capshaw. The move is part of TGI’s “ongoing expansion in key markets across the USA”, according to the company.
Hankook Tire becomes majority shareholder of Hanon Systems
Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd is now majority shareholder in South Korean automotive parts manufacturer Hanon Systems Co., Ltd., following approval from regulatory bodies such as the European Commission. Hankook Tire holds a 50.53% stake in Hanon Systems.
Knorr-Bremse sells GT Emissions Systems to UK equity fund
On 5 August, Knorr-Bremse announced the sale of its subsidiary, GT Emissions Systems, to Rcapital Partners, a UK-based private equity fund. GT Emissions Systems, located in Peterlee, County Durham, is a leading supplier of emission control systems for diesel engines used in both on-highway commercial vehicles and off-highway vehicles. The transaction is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter of this year.
Midlands Tyres Group buys Tyres and Batteries
In Eire, The Midland Tyres Group announced its acquisition of T.A.B. Tyres and Batteries Ltd (TAB) at the end of July. According to Midland, this strategic move will “enhance Midlands’ service offerings to our fleet customers where we will be positioned to have the largest number of fitters and vans inside and outside the M50.”
