Nidec to Acquire Valeo In-Car Motors & Actuators Business
20 October 2006
Japan’s Nidec Corporation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of Valeo’s in-car Electrical Motors & Actuators business.
The Motors & Actuators business produces engine cooling-fan systems and electric motors of more than 50 watts applied in a variety of systems: ventilation, power steering, ABS, seat adjustment, sunroofs, electric windows and sliding doors. It does not include the micro-hybrid Starter-Alternator Reversible System (StARS) product, which is part of another one of Valeo’s 13 product families. (Earlier post).
Nidec has focused on expanding its motor business as a core business strategy, and has expanded its in-car motor business, as well as its business for small precision motors mainly used in IT devices.
Nidec believes that the most effective way to compete in such business is to acquire a business with a favorable historical performance, because it takes time to develop production capacity for in-car motors and distribution channels for such products to Tier 1 customers.
Definitive documentation regarding the proposed transaction is expected to be entered into by the parties after completion of the consultation process with Valeo’s workers’ committee mandated under French law, which is targeted for mid-November of this year.
In May, Nidec announced that it plans to start mass-producing electric motors for hybrid vehicles in 2008 or 2009. The company has already begun developing hybrid-vehicle electric motors with outputs of 10 kW or greater in its mid-size motors business segment. (Earlier post.)
All these small/medium companies in car components (electric motors, controllers, batteries, etc) make for a possible future wave of consolidation. Big suppliers might buy much of what is out there, but some small-mid caps will merge with each other.
Posted by: allen_Z | 20 October 2006 at 01:37 PM
No engine belts should be in any car. The starter alternator can be integrated into the flywheel. Fans, water pumps, power-steering pumps and brake pumps should all be electric. A gear and starter type motor could slowly move the car in stopped traffic.
A large caravan battery like the new one for lorries in the US from Firefly can be charged where a grid outlet is available, by regeneration at slowing down on long grades and when almost empty, by the alternator.
AC propulsion has built very high performance motors and generators. RAZER wants to sell the design for its high power units.
The cost of plug-in-hybrid cars must be reduced.
It is cheaper to buy a working old car and feed it expensive gasoline.
Natural gas powered cars that can also run on gasoline are very cheap to operate. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 30 August 2008 at 10:34 PM