Green light for Johnson Controls' seat acquisitions

Johnson Controls, Inc., (Milwaukee, WI), has received approval from European Commission anti-trust authorities to proceed with its acquisition of seat recliner systems maker Keiper and custom seat manufacturer Recaro Automotive (both Kaiserslautern, Germany). The acquisition was announced on January 3, 2011.

Johnson Controls beefs up its seating business.

Johnson Controls is a global leader in automotive seating, interiors and electronics, Keiper is a leader in recliner system technology and is renowned for its engineering and manufacturing expertise in metals and mechanisms for automobile seats. The company also manufactures complete seats for commercial trucks.

Recaro Automotive offers complete seats for automakers and as aftermarket equipment. As part of the transaction, Johnson Controls also acquires the licensing rights for the exclusive global use of the Recaro trademark for the automotive industry. The acquisition includes 4,750 employees at 13 locations across seven countries.

Recaro Aircraft Seating, Recaro Child Safety and Recaro Home are not part of the acquisition and will remain part of Putsch Holding in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Also excluded are Keiper's operations, business and entity in Brazil. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. -[email protected]