Rockwell Automation has announced the introduction of its VersaView 6300 family of Allen-Bradley Industrial Computers, which will be available starting August 2020. The launch of the VersaView 6300 family follows the May 2020 acquisition of ASEM S.p.A. and represents an extension of the company’s capability for industrial PCs (IPC), human machine interface (HMI) and secure Industrial IoT remote access solutions.
Bridgestone has bought iTrack, which provides tyre management solutions for the off-the-road (OTR) market, from UK-based Transense Technologies Plc. All employees of the iTrack Solutions business will join Bridgestone as part of the acquisition. No financial details have been released.
Following news that Exide Technologies entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 19 May 2020, Exide has been bought by long-term lenders who have injected cash, but remains up for sale until the end of July. Specifically, the new owners of Exide EMEA and Asia-Pacific are subject to conditions outlined in the transaction document to “maintain continued employment of the company’s workforce in these regions”. For example, as part of the agreement, the ad hoc lender group has provided additional liquidity of up to $75 million. The agreement also includes a “go-shop” period with a bid submission deadline and auction to be held in early July 2020.
On 19 May battery manufacturer Exide Technologies entered chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, announcing “a comprehensive strategy to best position its businesses in North America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific to benefit its employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders across the globe.” In short, the strategy puts the Exide’s US business in chapter 11 and sells the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to the firm’s long-term lenders.
Fintyre, the large but troubled European tyre distribution enterprise, has confirmed that it is talking to “potential new investors” in a statement designed to clarify its ongoing position “given the events that have taken place in the last few months”.
Workshop and vehicle testing equipment company MAHA Maschinenbau Haldenwang GmbH Co. & KG has acquired a 100 per cent shareholding in ATT, the joint venture workshop equipment company founded in 2000 by Robert-Bosch GmbG and the Nussbaum Group. The change of ownership took place on 30 April.
Bridgestone has acquired German specialist tyre trade group, Reiff Reifen und Autotechnik GmbH. The company, part of the collapsed Fintyre Germany group, includes the Reiff, Netto and ABS brands. Reiff runs a network of 42 retail stores in the south of Germany, as well as a tyre retreading plant, all of which are part of the acquisition deal. It has more than 500 employees.
Warburg Pincus is now a shareholder in Apollo Tyres Ltd. During a meeting yesterday, the tyre maker’s Committee of Directors – Private Placement allocated Emerald Sage Investment Ltd., an affiliate of the private equity firm, 54,000,000 compulsorily convertible preference shares. Emerald Sage paid a total of Rs s. 5,400,000,000 (£57.56 million) for the shares in this first tranche transaction, or Rs 100 each.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved Warburg Pincus’ indirect acquisition of a 9.93 per cent stake in Apollo Tyres Limited. The purchase of 108,000,000 compulsorily convertible preference shares in the tyre maker, each share worth Rs 100, is being carried out by Emerald Sage Investment Limited. This transaction is worth approximately Rs 10.8 billion (£114 million).
Michelin is entering into a partnership with Swedish firm Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) to develop and industrialise on a large scale pyrolysis technology to recycle end of life tyres into raw materials. The two companies signed a shareholding subscription today that will see a subsidiary of the tyre maker, Michelin Ventures SAS, acquire a 20 per cent stake in Enviro.
Braking systems company Brembo S.p.A. has announced that it holds an interest in consumer tyre manufacturer and fellow Formula 1 supplier Pirelli. As of 31 March 2020, Brembo holds a 2.43 per cent stake in Pirelli, both directly and through its parent company Nuova FourB.
Goodyear’s decision to exit UK retreading in 2015, followed by Continental’s 2016 takeover of Bandvulc and Vaculug’s 2018 acquisition by Zenises Group changed the face of the UK retreading business in just three years. However, while the market has both contracted and consolidated in recent years, a core group of key retreading production bases remain. And while the largest retreading businesses often gain the spotlight, it is worth mentioning fast-growing operations as well. Sussex-based Seryt Tyres is one such company, so Tyres & Accessories got in touch with director Kevin Gillin and marketing manager Olly Townsend in order to find out more.
Goodyear plans to acquire a tyre wholesaler in Germany. Should the deal gain approval from the relevant antitrust authorities, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany GmbH will purchase Weilheim, Bavaria-based wholesaler and retailer Reifen Baierlacher. The tyre maker has not disclosed how much it will pay for the family-owned business.
Private equity firm Warburg Pincus is investing around £117 million in Apollo Tyres via a subsidiary. On 26 February, the tyre maker’s Board of Directors approved the issue of up to 108 million compulsorily convertible preference shares, each with a face value of Rs 100, to Emerald Sage Investment Ltd. The transaction is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Rockwell Automation
Bridgestone
Exide Technologies
Reiff