Houston, TX January 04, 2016
The Sterling Group, a middle market private equity firm, today announced that its portfolio company, Dexter Axle, has completed the acquisition of AL-KO VT. The combined companies have been renamed DexKo Global Inc. Today’s acquisition and the formation of DexKo Global Inc. creates the global leader in trailer axle and chassis supply with sales approaching nearly $1 billion.
AL-KO is Dexter’s fourth acquisition under Sterling ownership and its third corporate carve-out. Dexter completed the carve-out from the family-owned AL-KO Kober SE, who will remain a significant shareholder in DexKo Global Inc.
Headquartered in Kötz, Germany, AL-KO VT is the leading European designer and manufacturer of trailer axles, trailer and caravan components, chassis and motorized chassis. The company operates from 20+ locations around the world, including in Europe, Australia, South Africa, and China.
Dexter is the clear market leader in quality, innovation and service in North America. The addition of Dexter’s European counterpart will result in an even stronger organization. The two companies will be able to leverage shared resources and technology, as well as the advantages of a global footprint and significantly expanded scale. Dexter and AL-KO VT will remain under their current brands as market leaders in their respective geographies.
“The addition of AL-KO VT is transformative for Dexter, nearly doubling the company’s size and significantly expanding its company’s geographic footprint,” said Kevin Garland, Partner at The Sterling Group. “We look forward to executing on the operational and strategic opportunities that exist at DexKo Global Inc.”
Fred Bentley, Dexter board member and former CEO of Maxion Wheels, has been named President and CEO of DexKo Global Inc. “I am excited by the opportunity to lead and bring together two world class organizations. We will focus on continuing to lead with great technology and customer service and to expand our strong market leadership positions. It is truly an exciting time for this new organization and we will use our collective strengths for the benefit of all of our customers, employees, suppliers and stakeholders,” said Fred Bentley. Adam Dexter will continue in his current responsibilities as President and CEO of the US-based Dexter.
About The Sterling Group, L.P.
Founded in 1982, The Sterling Group is a private equity investment firm that targets controlling interests in basic manufacturing, distribution and industrial services companies. Typical enterprise values of these companies range from $100 million to $500 million. Sterling has sponsored the buyout of 46 platform companies and numerous add-on acquisitions for a total transaction value of over $10.0 billion. Currently, Sterling has $2.3 billion of assets under management. Current portfolio companies include CST Industries, Express, Saxco International, DexKo Global Inc., Safe Fleet, Specified Air Solutions, American Bath Group and ProcessBarron.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results and all investments are subject to loss.
The Sterling Group is an operationally focused middle market private equity firm that builds winning businesses for customers, employees and investors.
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