Automotive supplier HP Pelzer (Witten / Germany; www.pelzer.de) is to purchase the CarMex plant in Pachuca / Mexico from its competitor Carcoustics International (Leverkusen / Germany; www.carcoustics.com). No financial details of the transaction were disclosed. In 2008, the plant had sales of around USD 47m, primarily from customers Volkswagen and Nissan. HP Pelzer wants to expand the site to make it the strategic hub for North America.

HP Pelzer, which manufactures acoustic systems and inner liners for the automotive industry, has, as part of the consolidation process taking place in this sector, also frequently been mentioned as a potential buyer of insolvent competitor Stankiewicz (Adelheidsdorf / Germany; www.stankiewicz.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 06.03.2009.

The company is holding its cards close to its chest. A spokesperson for the insolvency administrator would say no more than "we are in the middle of the insolvency process." He said a number of firms were still interested, and the aim was to conclude the business before the summer holidays.

Only a few weeks ago, "Manager Magazin", referring to insider information, reported that investment bank Goldman Sachs, the present majority shareholder, wanted to sell HP Pelzer after taking over Stankiewicz. In 2008, HP Pelzer posted sales of EUR 580m, which was at least 5% less than in 2007.