Automotive components manufacturer Pricol on Thursday said it has signed binding agreements to acquire 100 per cent of the wiping systems business of Ashok Piramal Group’s PMP Auto Components.
The acquisition would be undertaken by Pricol Limited through its wholly owned subsidiaries. The transaction will be funded by a combination of internal accruals and external debt. The transaction would be EPS accretive to the shareholders of Pricol and the profitability is expected to further improve upon the integration of the business with Pricol.
PMP had acquired the wiping systems business from Magna in 2008. The firm has manufacturing facilities operational in the Czech Republic, Mexico and India and supplies wiper motors to global automotive customers including VW, Fiat, John Deere, Skoda, Audi, Seat. It has the turnover of around Rs 250 crore with a confirmed order book and revenue visibility of more than Rs 450 crore in FY 2020.
The acquisition will help Pricol diversify its product offerings and provide access to manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America, where it currently does not have a footprint. Additionally, with this acquisition, Pricol will increase its presence in the passenger vehicle segment and open up multiple cross-selling opportunities.
Pricol also expects to realise substantial synergies within the first couple of years to further boost the financial performance of the business. Pricol’s focus as an auto component supplier and experience in low-cost production and sourcing can be leveraged by the target businesses for realising cost savings in sourcing raw materials and reducing manufacturing overheads. Joint R&D is also expected to reduce product development costs.
Vikram Mohan, Managing Director, Pricol, said, “This acquisition ties in well with our long-term strategy of driving growth and achieving product diversification. We believe that wiping systems is a growing product segment which would be largely immune to the ever-changing technological trends in the automotive sector and the eventual move to electric vehicles. With manufacturing presence in the Czech Republic and Mexico, this acquisition fits in perfectly with our ongoing plans to establish the presence in these regions. We are also very excited about the potential of this business in the Indian market and confident of extracting synergies”
Harsh Piramal, Managing Director, PMP Auto Components, added, “PMP has decided to divest this business as part of its strategic portfolio reallocation where this business has been determined as non-core. We are happy that an automotive-focused group like Pricol is taking over this business and hope that they will take it to further heights”
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and the parties to the transaction are bound by standard confidentiality obligations.
BMR Advisors acted as transaction and fundraising advisor to Pricol. PWC was the transaction advisor to the shareholders of PMP.
Source: Economic Times