The acquisition is expected to contribute to Bulten’s development and earnings, and to increase earnings per share. Exim gives Bulten access to a large, broad customer base in growth sectors in a dynamic region. The acquisition is an important part of Bulten’s strategy, which aims for growth outside of the company’s primary customer group of automotive, and to improve risk diversification, as well as margins.  

Anders Nyström, President and CEO of Bulten Group, comments: “Our strategy sets out a clear focus on balancing our sales through growth in customer groups beyond the automotive industry. The aim is for these to account for at least 20% of sales by 2025. The acquisition of Exim takes us into the distribution stage, which is a key to profitable growth in new sectors. Exim is a well-managed company with an international customer base and developed processes for distribution and Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), which is suitable for industries with completely different purchasing patterns than Bulten has historically been used to. Exim’s base in Singapore is also highly attractive. It enables us to take advantage of the strong growth in that region, and we also see potential in using Exim’s sales network to increase sales for our factories in China and Taiwan. Exim will, together with Bulten's rapidly growing business to consumer electronics customers, constitute the beginning of a new industrial segment.”

Background
Exim & Mfr Holdings Pte Ltd is a privately owned company based in Singapore. Established in 1982, the company distributes fasteners and other c-parts*, along with related services from more than 1,800 manufacturers and suppliers for American, European, Indian and Japanese companies operating in Asia. The company has more than 1,000 customers in a range of sectors including telecom, electronics, energy, medical technology, aviation, and other industrial manufacturing. Exim has approximately 140 employees in Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, and annual sales of about SGD 40 million (SEK 320 million).

Purchase sum and completion
The purchase sum is approximately SGD 66.3 million (SEK 530 million) on a cash-free and debt-free basis. The sum will be paid in cash with equal financing from an existing credit facility with Svenska Handelsbanken and an additional loan from the Swedish Export Credit Corporation. The acquisition is expected to be completed during Q3 2023. The transaction cost is estimated at SEK 8 million.

KPMG, Drew & Napier, and Setterwalls are acting as advisers to Bulten in connection with the acquisition.

Access to the shares is expected to take place on August 31, 2023, taking into account the fulfillment of customary conditions according to the transfer agreement.

*Components with a low unit price that manufacturing companies stock in large quantities.

Questions related to the entered agreement regarding the acquisition can be asked at Bulten’s presentation of the Q2 result on July 12.

Webcast Bulten Q2: https://ir.financialhearings.com/bulten-q2-2023
Teleconference Bulten Q2: https://conference.financialhearings.com/teleconference/?id=200812

For further information, please contact:
Ulrika Hultgren, SVP Corporate Communications & IR, +46 727-47 17 58,  ulrika.hultgren@bulten.com

This information is information that Bulten AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 23:25 CEST on July 6, 2023.

Bulten Group is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of fasteners to the automotive industry, as well as other industries such as consumer electronics. The offering extends from a wide range of standard products to specially adapted fasteners. With Bulten’s Full Service Provider concept (FSP), customers can entrust all their fastener needs to the company, including development, sourcing, logistics and service. Bulten was founded in 1873, has approximately 1,600 employees around the world and is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Net sales in 2022 totaled SEK 4,474 million. The share (BULTEN) is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.