NANTERRE, FRANCE (Sept. 4, 10:55 a.m. ET) — Automotive supplier Faurecia SA is strengthening its business with Daimler AG by acquiring Plastal France SAS, a supplier of plastic body parts for Daimler's Smart brand of urban cars.
Faurecia spokesman Olivier Le Friec said the deal means the company now is a direct supplier to Daimler.
“This acquisition is giving us Smart as a customer for our automotive exteriors business, as well as a new manufacturing site in France,” he told European Plastics News.
The plant in Hambach, France, manufactures automotive body parts using injected thermoplastic and mold-in-color technology.
Daimler is a major customer for Faurecia, accounting for 5 percent of the company's total sales of 8.8 billion euros ($11 billion) in the first half of the year, Le Friec said.
The deal follows earlier acquisitions of Plastal Germany and Plastal Spain in 2010.
“We now own three subsidiaries of Plastal that were under judicial administration in Germany,” said Le Friec. “The Plastal Group split during the recent economic crisis.”
One Plastal subsidiary, Plastal Poland, was bought by Faurecia rival Plastic Omnium, which is also headquartered in France.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Faurecia has been active on the acquisition front, recently buying the automotive business of Sora Composites, a company specializing in composite plastics. That deal included plants in Theillay and Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, France, and an operational headquarters in Changé, France.
