Vernet Group, a portfolio company of Stirling Square Capital Partners, acquired Rostra Vernatherm, a portfolio company of Nikel Holdings and Valencia Capital, for an undisclosed amount. Rostra makes thermal control products for aerospace and defense, automotive and general industrial markets and will be renamed Vernatherm by Vernet.

Venture Plastics was awarded a contract to mold the plastic trunk finisher that protects the latch mechanism of the 2019 Nissan Altima. The contract drove the company's expansion in Newton Falls, Ohio.

Schaeffler celebrated 50 years of its Cheraw, South Carolina operations and is expanding the site to produce FRAX bearing components, with a $65 million investment and completion expected by end of 2020.

Rheinmetall Automotive's subsidiary Pierburg GmbH secured major orders worth a total of EUR 700 million for its new Electric Vapor Pump from an American and a Chinese automobile manufacturer, announced on 25 September 2019.

Wegmann automotive has acquired the sales and distribution operations of Alligator Ventilfabrik GmbH for passenger car and truck tyre valves, TPMS sensors and tools in Europe and North America. The Alligator brand and European production will be retained.

Webasto opened a new production facility in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, costing about EUR50 million. The plant makes sunroofs, panorama roofs, high-voltage heaters and charging solutions, with capacity for around 2 million roof systems per year.

Hutchinson has taken a majority share in TCSA, a joint venture with MANN+HUMMEL in Laval, France, making thermal management and cooling systems for EV and HEV vehicles. The unit employs around 60 people and is already operational.

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake broke ground on a 130,000 sq ft expansion of its Bowling Green, Kentucky wheel-end plant, including a new production line, a $65 million investment adding about 100 jobs, with completion expected by end of 2020.

Bosch has inaugurated Phase II of its expanded smart factory in Bidadi near Bengaluru, built with an investment of 31 million euros to make powertrain products such as common rail pumps and high-pressure rails.

Marelli and Shanghai Highly signed a memorandum of intent to form a joint venture operating Marelli's compressor and HVAC business, with a definitive agreement targeted for January 2020.

Marelli agreed an equity transfer agreement with Johnson Controls-Hitachi to acquire an equity interest in Shanghai Highly New Energy Technology, an electric compressor maker, with completion estimated in Q3 2019.

Miba Steeltec broke ground on a new building in Vrable, Slovakia, enlarging manufacturing space to about 16,500 square meters with 80 new jobs and the Miba Friction Group's first R&D department outside Austria.

Hydraulic component maker Takako will move its headquarters to Kizugawa, Kyoto, with a new office and factory due for completion in January 2021. The new plant will mass-produce solenoid valves for automotive use; the investment is undisclosed.

Rheinmetall Automotive unit Pierburg of Neuss won a first major European order for a 2/2 coolant valve from a premium German carmaker, worth around EUR 50 million. Valves will be installed in vehicles from 2021, for both combustion and battery-electric models.

Bosch Ltd inaugurated the phase II Bidadi factory near Bengaluru, built with an investment of 31 million euros. The plant will make common rail single-cylinder pumps and high-pressure rails and accommodate almost 2,500 associates by end-2019.

Brose is investing $105 million over five years to expand its southeast Michigan operations, adding 300 jobs at its Auburn Hills headquarters and New Boston factory. The article also describes the New Boston factory expansion.

Rheinmetall unit Pierburg GmbH has developed a 2/2 coolant valve usable in both combustion-engine and battery-electric vehicles, according to a 15 July 2019 press release.

Pierburg GmbH, part of Rheinmetall Automotive, won a first major European order worth around €50 million from a premium German carmaker for a 2/2 coolant valve. Series production for the customer's vehicles starts in 2021.

WABCO shareholders approved ZF Friedrichshafen's proposed all-cash acquisition at $136.50 per share, with 68.44% of shares voting in favour. Closing is expected in early 2020, subject to regulatory approvals.

Thyssenkrupp has expanded its camshaft unit in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, to meet rising automotive demand, as reported on 25 June 2019. The plant was opened in late 2015 and has 20 robots.

HellermannTyton Manufacturas announced a US$30 million expansion of its plant in Nuevo León, Mexico, to raise installed capacity and create 300 new jobs. The company plans a further US$10 million investment later, bringing total staff to 500 by 2022.

Ring Plus Aqua established a new plant in Sinnar near Nashik, Maharashtra, to produce flywheel ring gears, with annual capacity of 2 million units. The company announced the plant in a press release dated 31 May 2019.

Hanon Systems formally opened Chongqing Hanon Jianshe Automotive Thermal Systems, a 38,000 square meter joint venture plant in Banan district, Chongqing. It will initially supply variable swashplate compressors and heat pump systems to Changan Automobile.

Toyota Industries Denso Air Conditioning Compressor (Kunshan) is investing 130 million yuan to expand its Kunshan, Jiangsu plant, adding automotive AC compressor and die-cast aluminum parts capacity, with production expected in July 2019.

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas plans to create 100 jobs and invest at least $100 million, with potential up to $330 million, in an expansion of its existing Monroe, Georgia facility to increase production capacity.

Shanghai Jindu Investment signed an investment agreement with Jiaxing Development Zone for Nidec Kaipu's BTS project, a China production base and Asia-Pacific R&D centre for automotive electric pumps on a 60-mu site. The total investment is $105 million, with projected annual sales of at least RMB 1.2 billion by 2025.

Brembo opened a new aluminum brake caliper and steering knuckle production base in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, on 3 April 2019 with an investment of EUR 100 million, a planned capacity of 2 million pieces per year and about 450 employees.

Standard Profil Group opened a new plant in Jingzhou, China, with a EUR 6 million investment, producing two million sealing profiles per year for automakers. The company plans to hire 300 staff by the end of the year.

T/CCI Manufacturing opened a 16,000 square-foot facility in Noida, India, to manufacture and distribute 5H and 7H wobble plate compressors for heavy-duty truck, construction and bus markets. The first year target is 50,000 units, rising to 300,000 by 2021.

Fersa Bearings signed an agreement to become an official supplier of axle bearings to Daimler Germany and expanded its Zaragoza plant with an investment greater than 4 million euros.

Hubner Manufacturing Corporation will invest $9.6 million to establish a new manufacturing facility in Dunlap, Tennessee, creating 66 jobs over five years.

Korean Hanon Systems acquired the global fluid pressure and controls business of Magna International for a global deal value of US$1.2 billion. Kochhar & Co advised on the Indian leg of the transaction, as reported on 1 March 2019.

General Motors plans to expand production capacity for its 10-speed transmission at its Romulus propulsion plant in Michigan, investing USD 20 million. The announcement was made in a press release on 19 February 2019.

SANHUA AWECO held a grand opening ceremony for a new 1000 square metre production building inside its existing Tychy plant in Poland, to produce expansion valves for European automotive customers. The first production start is planned for May 2019.

Sensata Technologies held a groundbreaking for a new 4,000 sq.m production building and warehouse in Botevgrad, Bulgaria, with a $27 million investment and 300 new jobs planned.

Danfoss won a large contract from an unnamed Indian automotive player to supply components for hybrid vehicles, according to its global CEO Kim Fausing. The customer was not named.

SAPA broke ground on a 10,000 square meter production facility in Shelby Township, Michigan, with a planned investment of $40.1 million and 223 new jobs. The plant is expected to be operational in January 2020 and will house its US headquarters.

Sensata Technologies broke ground on a new 4,000 sq m production building in Botevgrad, Bulgaria, with an investment of US$27 million in building and equipment. The expansion is planned to create 300 new jobs.

UFI Filters won a contract to supply a thermal management component for the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance's new full electric engines, shipped from its Asian plants to European and Japanese factories. The announcement was published on 2019-01-30.

BorgWarner celebrated the opening of its expanded 4,023 square metre facility in Kakkalur, Tamil Nadu, which adds a production line for variable cam timing systems to serve India and Southeast Asia.

ZF Friedrichshafen opened a shock absorber production line at its regional headquarters in Chakan, Pune, with an annual capacity of 0.7 million units, planned to rise to 3 million units within 3 to 4 years.

TRICO Group acquired the Performance Pumps business of UCI International Holdings, comprising ASC Industries and Airtex Products, with the deal effective immediately. The announcement is dated 15 January 2019 and no value was stated.

Erlson Precision Components invested in a new 5X building at its Precision Investment Castings site in Altrincham, Cheshire, which began compressor wheel production about nine months later. The group plans to expand capacity further in 2020.

UFI Filters has inaugurated its first European thermal management plant in Opole, Poland, doubling its global heat exchanger capacity by 2023. The 42 million PLN (about 10 million euro) investment is expected to create 250 jobs within five years.

Bosch plans to purchase the former Associated Fuel Pump Systems (AFCO) plant adjacent to its Anderson campus in South Carolina, investing an additional $45 million to expand production capabilities.

Casttech Korea (071850) signed a supply contract worth 23.9 billion won with BorgWarner Turbo Systems for automotive turbocharger parts, disclosed on 28 November 2018.

Casttech Korea (071850) signed a supply contract worth 41.9 billion won with Honeywell Technologies SARL for automotive turbocharger parts, disclosed on 28 November 2018.

PSA AVTEC Powertrain, a joint venture of Groupe PSA and AVTEC Group, opened a greenfield facility in Hosur to make transmissions and BS VI engines, with an investment of ₹600 crore and 800 new jobs.

Weichai Power's subsidiary Weichai HK acquired 46.1 million common shares, about 19.9% of Ballard Power Systems, in exchange for an equity investment of about US$163.6 million, a China joint venture, and a $90 million technology transfer program.

Hexagon Composites signed an agreement to acquire the remaining 50% of Agility Fuel Solutions, valuing Agility's equity at USD 250 million on a 100% basis. Closing is expected in January 2019.