Mutares plans to expand presence in Asia with Amaneos China

Munich — Muta­res SE & Co. KGaA has ente­red into final nego­tia­ti­ons with the listed Korean company Hwase­ung Corpo­ra­tion to acquire 67% of the shares in Hwase­ung Special Rubber (Taicang) Co., Ltd. (“HSR”) and Hwase­ung Auto Parts (Taicang) Co., Ltd. (“HST”). This poten­tial acqui­si­tion of a majo­rity stake in a leading auto­mo­tive supplier in China is an important mile­stone for Muta­res’ global expan­sion and targe­ted growth stra­tegy in Asia. Hwase­ung Corpo­ra­tion today announ­ced the poten­tial acqui­si­tion on the Korean stock exch­ange. The tran­sac­tion is expec­ted to be signed in the fourth quar­ter of 2025.

Signi­fi­cant synergies

The target compa­nies are known for their essen­tial rubber seal­ing and hose products, which they supply to well-known car manu­fac­tu­r­ers such as GM, VW, Hyun­dai, Kia and Xiaomi. With two state-of-the-art produc­tion faci­li­ties and around 600 employees, the compa­nies gene­ra­ted sales of over EUR 100 million in 2024 — HSR and HST are an ideal fit for Amaneo’s China busi­ness and unlock signi­fi­cant syner­gies in the value chain. The inte­gra­tion inclu­ding SMA China and SFC China will result in addi­tio­nal cost bene­fits, opera­tio­nal effi­ci­en­cies and a streng­the­ned compe­ti­tive posi­tion in the worl­d’s most dyna­mic auto­mo­tive market. 

Muta­res’ expan­sion into the Chinese auto­mo­tive sector streng­thens its posi­tion as an opera­tio­nal leader in the Auto­mo­tive & Mobi­lity segment, extends the Group’s track record and opens up new oppor­tu­ni­ties for colla­bo­ra­tion with leading Asian and inter­na­tio­nal OEMs. The decis­ion of a promi­nent Korean-listed seller to enter into such a tran­sac­tion with Muta­res reflects the Group’s global posi­tion as a relia­ble and value-crea­­ting owner with a proven track record of opera­tio­nal excel­lence, trans­for­ma­tion and sustainable growth. 

Johan­nes Laumann, CIO of Muta­res, comm­ents: “Our expan­sion into Asia is an important mile­stone for Muta­res in the Auto­mo­tive & Mobi­lity segment. We are hono­red by the trust of our Korean part­ners and look forward to brin­ging our opera­tio­nal exper­tise to the Chinese market. This acqui­si­tion demons­tra­tes our commit­ment to inter­na­tio­nal growth and diver­si­fi­ca­tion and will create value for all stakeholders.”