Posted to News on 15th Jul 2026, 09:00
Bulten enters into binding agreement to divest European automotive contract manufacturing operations
Bulten has entered into an agreement to divest its European automotive contract manufacturing business to Maelir, a Swedish investment firm, in a transaction that creates a more focused Bulten and gives the divested business a new long-term owner for its next phase of development.
The divestment follows the strategic review of Bulten's operations announced on 23 June 2025 and represents an important step in the Group's long-term transformation.
Following completion, Bulten will have a more focused portfolio and a higher share of activities within C-Parts management, sourcing and trading, distribution, value-added services and precision manufacturing.
Bulten will build further on the capabilities developed through its long industrial and automotive heritage, including quality, precision, reliability, engineering discipline and the ability to meet complex customer requirements, and apply them across a broader set of sectors and applications.
The resulting business mix is expected to reduce capital intensity, strengthen the conditions for improved cash conversion and return on capital employed over time, and allow Bulten to direct greater management attention and future investment toward selected growth opportunities.
Automotive will remain part of Bulten's future portfolio in applications where the Group has a differentiated commercial and technical position. The retained group will also include Bulten's full-service provider (FSP) business in the United Kingdom.
Axel Berntsson, President and CEO of Bulten, comments: "This transaction marks an important step in Bulten's transformation. The European automotive manufacturing operations form an important part of Bulten's industrial history and have developed considerable industrial expertise and longstanding customer relationships. We are pleased to have found in Maelir a long-term owner with the industrial ambition to support the business in its next phase.
"For Bulten, the transaction creates a more focused and less capital-intensive group, with a higher share of value-added activities and a clearer platform for profitable growth. The retained group will include our FSP business in the United Kingdom, the precision manufacturing business under the PSM brand and the C-Parts distribution business under the EXIM brand. Building on the capabilities developed through our long industrial heritage, including quality, precision, reliability and the ability to meet complex customer requirements, we will apply these strengths across a broader set of sectors and applications. Our immediate priority is to ensure an orderly transition for employees, customers and suppliers."
