Sodecia Becomes Strategic Investor In Huf Group; Rui Monteiro To Become CEO In 2025
- By MT Bureau
- December 21, 2024
L-R: Florian Graf, Deputy Chairman, Huf Advisory Board, Rui Monteiro, CEO and Owner, Sodecia and Ulrich Hulsbeck, Chairman, Huf Advisory Board.
Portugal-headquartered Sodecia Group has inked a strategic long-term partnership with German automotive supplier Huf Group. Sodecia is set to acquire a minority stake in Huf Group along with commitment to increase its shareholding by 2028.
Furthermore, Sodecia will provide significant funds and enable Huf to execute its future growth strategy, along with Rui Monteiro, CEO and owner of Sodecia, will also become the new CEO of Huf next year.
It was last year that Huf had begun the search for a strategic partner to attain its growth targets in line with its new corporate strategy ‘Grow beyond’. Sodecia is set to acquire 30 percent initially of Huf's shares and in return will provide significant shareholder funds to execute future growth strategy.
The partners have further agreed that by 2028 Sodecia will acquire majority of Huf’s shares. All the while, Huf will continue to operate as a separate entity, headquartered in Velbert, Germany and with representatives of the Huf founding families Hulsbeck and Furst as part of Huf’s advisory board. Dirk Fischer will support Monteiro as the COO and Rainer Heupel as CFO.
Ulrich Hulsbeck, Chairman of the Huf Advisory Board, said, “Sodecia is the ideal partner for Huf. The family-owned company from Portugal has extensive expertise and resources that will enable Huf to not only strengthen its operational excellence, but also to invest in even more innovative car access and authorisation solutions.”
Florian Graf, Deputy Chairman of the Huf Advisory Board and a descendant of the second Huf shareholder and founder family (Furst), added, “We have built a very solid foundation of trust with those in charge at Sodecia and in particular with Rui Monteiro over the past months. We are pleased that Monteiro will take over the role of CEO at Huf next year. Tom Graf will leave Huf on 31 December 2024. We would like to thank Graf for his successful work over the last six years restructuring Huf and wish him all the best for the future.”
Rui Monteiro, CEO and Owner, Sodecia, stated, “Huf has enormous potential and I am looking forward to working with its employees. Huf has full order books, a future-proof product portfolio and dedicated teams worldwide. With Huf, we are gaining an established, global partner for the Sodecia Group with high reputation at automotive manufacturers and also known for top quality. The entire Sodecia Group and thus our customers, but also other partners worldwide will benefit from it.”
Huf Group has established its presence in 17 locations in Europe, America and Asia. It is a leading supplier of mechanical, electronic and software solutions for the global automotive industry.
Uno Minda Board Approves New Aluminium Die Cast Greenfield Facility In Maharashtra
- By MT Bureau
- June 19, 2025
Tier 1 supplier Uno Minda has announced that its Board of Directors has approved setting up of a greenfield manufacturing facility for aluminium die casting in Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra.
The new facility is targeted to meet the growing demand for casting components, particularly in electric two- and four-wheelers. As automakers look to introduce alternative energy vehicles with higher energy efficiency, lightweighting becomes a critical focus area. This is an area where aluminium die casting has emerged as a critical requirement for lightweight, high-performance vehicle platforms. EVs fundamentally require significantly more aluminium-based structural and thermal components compared to their internal combustion counterparts—making advanced die casting capabilities central to EV powertrain and body applications.
In addition, the upcoming facility will play vital role in supporting Uno Minda’s backward integration strategy by supplying essential casting components to its forthcoming four-wheeler electric vehicle powertrain plant.
The new project involves a total planned capital investment of approximately INR 2.1 billion, to be implemented in a phased manner over the next five years. The investment will be funded through a balanced mix of internal accruals and debt. Phase 1 of the plant is expected to commence commercial operations by Q2 FY27.
Mutares To Acquire Continental’s’ Drum Brakes Production & R&D Location In Italy
- By MT Bureau
- June 18, 2025
German private equity investor Mutares SE & Co is set to acquire Continental’s drum brakes production and R&D location in Cairo Montenotte (Italy) as part of its new platform investment in the automotive and mobility segment.
This follows the Continental Group’s recent announcement to spin off its automotive business as an independent company, Aumovio in September 2025.
As per the understanding, Mutares will take over all employees and business activities related to Continental’s drum brake business in Cairo Montenotte. This is expected to add about EUR 100 million in revenue for the company in 2025. The facility in Cairo Montenotte, Italy, is a production and R&D site for hydraulic drum brakes and manufactures products such as the Parking Brake for Simplex Brakes (EPB-Si) and the Drum Brake (Si). It employs around 400 people.
Johannes Laumann, CIO, Mutares, said, “With the acquisition of Continental’s Cairo Montenotte site we are strengthening our automotive and mobility segment. The long-standing expertise, strong product portfolio and highly skilled workforce provide an excellent foundation for operational development and future growth.”
Philipp von Hirschheydt, member of the Continental Executive Board and CEO of the future Aumovio, added, “We are confident that Mutares, with its extensive experience in the automotive business, is the right owner to lead this site into the future. Our shared goal is to ensure continuity for employees, customers and partners while securing long-term prospects for the Cairo Montenotte location.”
“With this agreement, we further consolidate our European manufacturing footprint. Moreover, it marks an important step in our strategy in Europe to better allocate R&D and investments with our product strategy and future technologies, such as electric braking or integrated friction solutions. The transaction deal follows Automotive’s strategy to sharpen our focus on our core business and streamline our business operations,” added Hirschheydt.
Forvia Hella Elevates Subramanian Narayanan As Head of Global Development Center India
- By MT Bureau
- June 18, 2025
Tier 1 automotive supplier Forvia Hella has announced the appointment of Subramanian Narayanan (Subu) as the new Head of Global Development Center India.
It was in May 2001, Narayanan started his journey in the automotive industry as a Product Designer at Visteon Corporation.
In 2005, Subu joined the Forvia Hella Group (formerly Hella Lighting and Faurecia) and over the course of nearly two decades, he held various positions in the company. Most recently, he was the Head – Technical Center and Program Management.
In his new role, Narayanan will be tasked with leading new product development and technological trends for Forvia Hella.
- Schaeffler Group
- Schaeffler India
- Dharmesh Arora
- Highway Roop Precision Technologies
- Highway Roop
- Roop Automotives
- Highway Industries
- Maruti Suzuki India
- General Motors
- Mohit Oswal
Highway Roop Precision Technologies Appoints Dharmesh Arora As CEO
- By MT Bureau
- June 16, 2025
Highway Roop Precision Technologies (Highway Roop), a global auto components platform formed by the integration of Highway Industries and Roop Automotives, has appointed Dharmesh Arora as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Arora brings a wealth of experience to Highway Roop, having most recently served as CEO for Asia Pacific at Schaeffler Group for over five years. Prior to that, he held the position of CEO for Schaeffler India for seven years. His extensive career also includes two decades in leadership roles within purchasing and supply chain at General Motors. He started his journey in the automotive sector in 1986 as a Product Engineer at Maruti Suzuki India, making him a seasoned industry veteran.
Mohit Oswal, Non-Executive Chairman of Highway Roop, said, “We are excited that Dharmesh has joined as CEO of Highway Roop. He is a highly experienced professional who has a deep understanding of the automotive industry and brings decades of global experience in building and managing automotive businesses”.
He added that Arora’s focus will be on "accelerating growth, driving operational excellence and leveraging innovation to deliver enhanced value for the Platform’s customers and strengthen its market position."
Dharmesh Arora said, “I am honoured to join Highway Roop at such an exciting time for India’s automotive industry. The platform’s strong manufacturing capabilities, diverse product portfolio, and global customer base create a powerful foundation for expansion.”
Highway Roop is a prominent manufacturer of forged and precision-machined components, including steering system assemblies and various transmission and powertrain applications. The company caters to electric, hybrid, and internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles. The platform has also indicated its intent to acquire synergistic assets as part of its growth and expansion strategy within the auto components sector.
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