NEWS

STAHLGRUBER ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN OPTIMAL

22.03.2017

Poing/Germany, 22 March 2017 – STAHLGRUBER GmbH, one of the leading automotive spare parts distributors in Europe, has acquired a majority stake in Germany-based OPTIMAL AG & Co. KG – subject to approval by competition authorities. For more than 25 years, OPTIMAL has been successfully supplying automotive spare parts to international customers under the brands OPTIMAL  and Bendix.

 “STAHLGRUBER is strengthening its international market position in the independent aftermarket with the stake in OPTIMAL including branches in Germany, France,  Belgium, Spain, U.K., Poland, Turkey, and South America,” said Werner Maier, CFO of STAHLGRUBER. “OPTIMAL will be managed as an independent company with its own management team, and the headquarter remains in Langenbach/Germany. OPTIMAL will further develop its national and international business with products under the strong brands OPTIMAL and Bendix. The success story of OPTIMAL will be continued; key business areas will be strengthened.”

“Our customers will profit from our new, further enhanced performance and our growing offering and business. We will further extend our product lines and intensify our international sales activities,” emphasized Markus Neudek, founder and Chairman of the Board of OPTIMAL. “Besides these advantages, there are no changes for our customers resulting from our new shareholding structure.”

The closing of the agreement is still pending approval by competition authorities. However, both parties expect that authorities will grant permission. They agreed not to disclose financial terms of the transaction.

About STAHLGRUBER GmbH

International, with more than 6,000 employees, and more than 500,000 products.

STAHLGRUBER is a leading European automotive spare parts distributor with a product portfolio of more than 500,000 articles, and multiple high-quality services covering demands from car workshops and spare parts wholesalers and retailers. Revenue 2016: about 1.5 bn. EUR.

For more information, please see http://www.stahlgruber.de

About OPTIMAL AG & Co. KG

OPTIMAL AG & Co. KG has been supplying quality spare parts for axles, brakes, steering mechanisms, engines and other automotive products since its establishment in 1992. The strong growth of our company shows that our first-rate concepts have met with the approval of customers and suppliers alike.

Thorough and direct cooperation with customers is at the center of what we do. The quality of our products and our extremely high standard of service are key to achieving customer satisfaction. Quality is one of our most important business objectives.

OPTIMAL AG & Co. KG supplies parts to the aftermarket which are sourced from production partners from all around the world, OEMs and quality suppliers. Despite its large growth, OPTIMAL AG & Co. KG has remained a transparent, structured and accessible company which enjoys great flexiblity and employee loyalty.

Modern communication systems and logisitics and an extensive stock mean that products are delivered on time with an excellent service. All products are top-quality and comply with European and international standards for the aftermarket, e.g. the manufacturer’s standards TS 16949, QS 9000, ISO 9001:2008 and in particular, the block exemption regulation no. 1400/2002.

For more information, please see  http://www.optimal-germany.com

Press contact:
STAHLGRUBER GmbH
Elmar Voltz
Content & Communication Manager
Phone  +49.8121 707-77 410
Mobile +49.151 108 327 46
elmar.voltz@stahlgruber.de