GREENWICH, Conn. (Dec. 1, 2010)—One private investment company has acquired Henniges Automotive Holdings Inc., North America's 28th-largest rubber product maker, from another for an undisclosed sum.
Littlejohn & Co. L.L.C. said it purchased the Farmington Hills, Mich.-based maker of automotive engineered sealing and antivibration systems from Wynnchurch Capital Partners.
Henniges manufactures automotive sealing systems for doors, windows, trunks, lift gates, sunroofs and hoods, and makes automotive antivibration products, encapsulated glass, obstacle detection systems and other rubber components.
The company—which has 11 plants throughout the world and employs 4,500—said it markets its products to all major North American and European automotive original equipment customers.
While its roots go back to 1863, the modern Henniges Automotive was born in 2008 after Metzeler Automotive Profit Systems-North America completed is acquisitions of GDX Automotive. The company was renamed Henniges Automotive.
The firm slipped to 28th from 23rd in this year's rankings of North American rubber product companies, compiled by Rubber & Plastics News and based on 2009 sales. The firm had rubber product sales in North America of $272 million in 2009, and corporate sales of $432 million.
Littlejohn Managing Director Brian E. Ramsay praised the management team of Henniges, led by CEO Rob DePierre.
Littlejohn received legal advice in the deal from Pepper Hamilton L.L.P.