NEWS


Mahle and Hella sell stakes in AC venture


Automotive suppliers Mahle and Hella are selling their equal stakes in the Behr- Hella Thermocontrol (BHTC) joint venture to AUO Corporation, the purchase price based on an enter- prise value of €600m. The transaction is expected to be completed by mid-2024. AUO, based in Taiwan, specialises in display panel products and solutions. Headquartered in Lippstadt, Germany, BHTC operates mainly in air conditioning control and is a specialist for system solutions in the field of HMI. In 2022 it generated sales of €619m. “Since its foundation almost 25 years ago, BHTC has established itself as a strong automotive supplier


IMAGE: BHTC


Investment firm takes


over MKL Investment group Regio Plus has acquired MKL Kunststofftechnik, a full service injection moulding company based in Mahlberg-Orschweier, south-west Germany, specialising in high-quality plastic parts and assem- blies in the automotive interior sector. “With this investment,


Above: BHTC’s headquarters in Lippstadt, Germany


with an excellent technology portfolio and a high customer reputation. We are therefore pleased to have found a strategic buyer in AUO who can further develop BHTC’s business in a competitive and continu- ously growing environment and seize new market


opportunities,” said Arnd Franz, Chairman of the Mahle Group Management Board and CEO. The sale stems from a change of control clause in the JV agreement after Faurecia acquired a majority stake in Hella. � www.bhtc.com


MKS Plastics increases production


MKS Plastics, an industrial pail manufacturer based in Louisiana, US, is investing $14m to double the size of its production facility in Tangipahoa Parish, adding 14 injection moulding machines along with pumps,


chillers, air compressors, and air dryers. “This expansion will help MKS in every aspect of its business model, from our employee capacity to sales,” said MKS Plastics COO Robert Latiolais.


The company anticipates


the upgrades to the facility to be complete and opera- tional by the end of 2024. This allows the company to better serve customers in petroleum and chemicals. �www.mksplastics.com


we are taking a decisive step further in our goal of establishing a leading network and competence centre and thus [becom- ing] a partner of world market leaders in the region. We are now also a direct partner of premium automotive OEMs and brands and now have injection moulding machines up to 500 tons in 1K and 2K processes, robotics and assembly technologies as well as 3D printing,” said Christian Hauger, partner of Regio Plus.


Other Regio plastics businesses include Regio MLH KST and Babberger Plastic. � https://regioplusgmbh.de


Irish expansion for Freudenberg Medical


Freudenberg Medical, a design and manufacturing partner for medical devices whose operations include injection moulding and extrusion, has completed an expansion at its facility in Galway, Ireland, raising its manufactur- ing footprint by 50%. The company operates sites across the US, Europe, Asia and Costa Rica. Its


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Irish facilities were originally estab- lished as joint venture partnerships with the former Cambus Medical and VistaMed operations which have now transitioned into Freudenberg Medical. Mark Ostwald, CEO of Freudenberg


Medical, said: “Ireland is of strategic significance within our global network. The country is renowned worldwide as


INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2023


a leader in the life sciences sector and stands as an epitome of excellence and innovation for medical devices. With the investment in our newly expanded facility and plans to further increase our team, we look forward to building on our 25-year history as we strengthen our presence in Ireland.” �www.freudenbergmedical.com


www.injectionworld.com


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