March 21, 2005 -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c14180) has announced the addition of Global Review of M&A Activity in the Automotive Supplier Industry, with 2005 Outlook to their offering.

Merger and acquisition activity has become a dominant feature of the global automotive supplier industry in the last ten years. It has also resulted in some fundamental reshaping of the sector as a number of major players have exited the business, either voluntarily or otherwise while others have entered or expanded. For many years, acquisition-led growth has gone hand-in-hand with organic growth, as suppliers have sought to exploit and extend their core strengths. The reverse side of this has been a significant flow of disposals. Many suppliers have been active on both fronts, simultaneously acquiring businesses to add to their portfolio of core products and operations while disposing of others that, often for a host of reasons, no longer fit as part of the longer-term corporate strategy. The resulting deals, the driving forces for them and the inevitable impact on the global supplier industry represent a complex web of issues. Although M&A activity tends to flow in waves, driven by demand and supply factors, there is general agreement that the trends seen in the last decade will continue for the foreseeable future, even if subtle changes in the driving forces are evident. The following analysis attempts to bring some perspective to this activity, to assess the key drivers and to outline the resulting impact on the components sector.

The analysis is focused on activities that result in partial or complete changes of business ownership, i.e. one or more purchasers take full or partial control of a business or part thereof from a seller or sellers. This obviously represents just one part of inter-supplier relationships that, in their entirety, can also embrace joint ventures (variously structured), technology partnerships, marketing/sales initiatives etc. Such transactions rarely involve the transfer of significant assets from one party to another although in many cases are precursors to more formal M&A activity, as defined here, between the same parties.

Careful analysis of existing joint-venture relationships can often provide a valuable route map for those attempting to spot the approach of the next major acquisition.

Companies Profiled:
- Carlyle
- Blackstone
- Cypress
- Heartland
- HgCapital

Case Studies:
- American Axle (AAM)/Blackstone
- Breed Technologies/Carlyle
- Dana's aftermarket operations/Cypress
- Siemens VDO Automotive/Chrysler's Huntsville Electronics

Contents include:
- M&A drivers and objectives
- Financing issues
- Market review of recent M&A activity
- The role of private equity
- Profiles of major private equity firms in automotive components sector
- Recent automotive supplier case studies
- Outlook and future trends

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c14180

Laura Wood
Senior Manager
Research and Markets
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