Superior closes Uniwheels deal

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — OEM wheel supplier Superior Industries International Inc. has completed its acquisition of Uniwheels A.G., the No. 3 supplier of OEM aluminum wheels to European car makers and Europe's leading producer of aftermarket aluminum wheels.

Superior's purchase of Bad Dürkheim, Germany-based Uniwheels is valued at $714.7 million. Uniwheels operates two plants in Germany and three in Poland, with combined capacity of 10 million wheels.

A combined Superior/Uniwheels will generate about $1.2 billion in annual sales, Superior said. Uniwheels reported sales in 2016 of $494 million, split roughly 80/20 OE/aftermarket.

•This story appeared in the June 5 print edition of Tire Business

Uniwheels' brands are Alutec, Anzio, ATS and Rial.

Superior disclosed May 30 it had closed its deal to buy Uniwheels by securing 92.3 percent of the German company's outstanding shares. It is financing the deal with $670 million of newly funded debt, as well as $150 million of preferred equity.

Superior President and CEO Don Stebbins called the deal a "highly transformative and synergistic transaction that will deliver meaningful benefits to all of the stakeholders and positions the combined company extremely well for future growth.

"The acquisition immediately establishes us as a leading global supplier of aluminum wheels, diversifies our customer base and end markets, expands our geographic reach and creates a platform to better serve our global customers," he said.

Uniwheels Chairman and CEO Thomas Buchholz added: "The combination brings together highly complementary product technologies and manufacturing processes, creating global scale and positioning the business for profitable and sustainable growth."

Southfield-based Superior describes itself as the largest manufacturer of aluminum wheels in North America for passenger cars and light-duty vehicles, with one plant in the U.S. and four in Mexico.

Superior's primary customers include BMW North America; Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles; Ford Motor Co.; General Motors Co.; Mazda; Nissan North America; Subaru; Tesla; Toyota and Volkswagen of America.

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