The concentration process on the European and international market for motor vehicle parts and accessories continues at a terrific pace. And North American companies are strategically expanding their positions in Europe with investments worth hundreds of millions. The most recent example: Klöckner-Werke AG (PO Box 100853, D-47008 Duisburg) is to sell the whole Kautex group (HQ: Kautex-Werke Reinold Hagen AG, Kautexstr. 52, D-53229 Bonn) to Textron Inc. (40 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA) with retroactive effect from 1 October 1996. The purchase price was given as DEM 468m, which will enable Klöckner-Werke to reduce its debts by a third. This deal, which is subject to approval by the European and US American competition authorities, is expected to be realised in early 1997.

According to information from Klöckner, Kautex is the leading supplier of plastic fuel tank systems for automobiles worldwide. The production programme will continue to include engineering plastic moulding for the automobile industry and blow moulded plastic packaging. A group turnover of around DEM 750m is achieved with over 2,000 employees. The company's turnover for the financial year 1994/95 (30 September) was DEM 394m.

Textron is a company which operates worldwide in the fields of aviation, motor vehicle parts and accessories, industrial systems and components, as well as financial services. Its turnover is USD 9bn and it employs a workforce of 59,000. By acquiring the Kautex group, Textron will expand its motor vehicle parts and accessories business further and reach a turnover of USD 2bn together with Kautex. As John A. Janitz, the managing director of the motor vehicle parts and accessories division, emphasised, the Kautex takeover will make it possible to gain more customers and increase production capacity in the key markets of Europe, North and South America, and China.