Steinheim am Albuch, 14th January 2019
Source: “SAM automotive group"

Chinese automotive supplier Fuyao acquires SAM automotive group

• All jobs are saved
• Insolvency administrator Dr. Holger Leichtle of Schultze & Braun: “We have reached an agreement with which, in my opinion, all parties involved can be highly satisfied”.

Steinheim am Albuch. The insolvent automotive supplier SAM automotive group becomes part of the Fuyao Group. On Friday, the creditors' committee unanimously approved the takeover. Today insolvency administrator Dr. Holger Leichtle of Schultze & Braun announced the successful conclusion of the search for investors at the creditors' meeting. The takeover is still subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.

“We have reached an agreement with which, in my opinion, all parties involved can be highly satisfied. In a joint effort, we succeeded in saving all jobs and preserving the company,” Leichtle said. “The past weeks and months have been anything but easy for the employees. I am therefore even more pleased that we have come to a good solution without any job losses. In my view, SAM fits very well into the portfolio of the Fuyao Group. SAM thus has a strong partner at its side with whom the company can once again align itself for the future”.
The insolvency administrator thanked the employees for their commitment over the past weeks. Leichtle also thanked suppliers, customers and the bank involved for the good cooperation. “The above-mentioned partners played a decisive role in ensuring that we were able to continue and maintain SAM.”

It was agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Fuyao Glass Group Industries is a globally active company involved in the manufacture and processing of automotive glass. With a turnover of over 2 billion euros and over 25,000 employees worldwide, Fuyao is one of the leading suppliers in the field of automotive glazing. The group's headquarter is located in Fuqing (People's Republic of China). The company was founded in 1987 and has since then developed into one of the world's largest glass manufacturers. The product range includes float glass and automotive glass. The Fuyao Group's customers are many large automobile manufacturers.

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Steinheim, November 2016
Source: “Wirtschaft Regional"

The SAM Automotive Group continues to expand its Steinheim location

For nearly nine months, the former Binder Group has now officially been a part of the Bregal Unternehmerkapital associated company - and the winds of change can be particularly felt at the Steinheim location. The company, which will soon be renamed SAM Automotive Group, short for: “Süddeutsche Aluminium Manufaktur”, is at home on the former Kampa area. The location of the system supplier for aluminum mounting parts in the automobile premium segment is being expanded.

In recent years, Binder and SAM have invested nearly 20 million Euro in the 65,000 square meter area. The legal headquarters of the SAM Automotiv Group may remain in Böhmenkirch, however: “Steinheim should be expanded into a showcase facility in all areas”, according to CEO Peter Markowsky. The proof for this is the investment in the main administration and the former Kampa developer center. The central administration moved here during the past weeks.

At the sites in Steinheim, Böhmenkirch and Laichingen-Feldstetten as well as Puebla in Mexico, SAM Automotive Group develops and produces roof rail systems, roof trimmings, decorative trimming and tank cap systems for all renowned automobile manufacturers.  A majority of the turnover is obtained through the VW corporation, but Mercedes, General Motors and Volvo are also among the company’s customers. The company now has 2,100 employees - a third of which are employed in Steinheim. There were just around 200 employees here four years ago.

The development of the Steinheim site is not only emphasized by the increase in jobs. “Binder had the goal of becoming the market leader for many years,” said Markowsky. “But it is not just about quantity: We want to expand our technological leadership in an innovative market,” the CEO described as the goal. That is why, for example, a modern polishing facility is being created at the Steinheim location.

All the while Bregal Unternehmerkapital represents a reliable investor in the background. The Brenninkmeijer Family, which founded the fashion chain C&A in 1841, is behind Bregal. Bregal’s investments are traditionally long-term in nature. “Bregal is a great match with the medium-sized structure of the group as an investor”, CFO Thomas Erath, who leads the company together with Markowsky, emphasized. Bregal is interested in the sustainable and long-term appreciation of the corporate group.

Markowsky and Erath both emphasize the importance of a realignment of the group. Over the years, the group has grown to include 14 subsidiaries and the existing internal structure and organization no longer fit a modern company with more than 2,000 employees. That is why Markowsky and Erath initially reappointed a few leadership positions, the departments were realigned and received more responsibility - and 14 companies became just three.

This consolidation also included the complete concentration on the automobile market where the SAM Automotive Group earned approximately 300 million Euro per year in complete turnover. The company’s advantage: The change from the combustion to electric engine does not have an effect on the SAM business model: Decorative trimmings will also be decorating electric cars in the future.

On the one hand, the company counts on its know-how for the further development of the corporate group: The patented ALUCERAM procedure, where the aluminum parts are covered with a ceramic layer and thereby conserved, further contributes to the expansion of the group. On the other hand, knowledge is tapped from the new affiliate “novem car interior design gmbh” with their headquarters in Vorbach (Bavaria), which also belongs to Bregal.   “Since Novem produces the decorative parts for the interior of cars, we complement each other perfectly”, according to Markowsky.

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