Marelli

History

2024

VB Partners buys Marelli

On October 7, 2024, it became known about the acquisition by the Russian investment company VB Partners of a plant for the production of automotive lighting in the Ryazan region, previously owned by the Italian-Japanese concern Marelli. The deal marks another stage in the process of restructuring the assets of foreign companies in Russia.

According to Interfax, on October 3, 2024, the German company Marelli Automotive Lighting Reutlingen, controlled by the American investment fund Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR & Co.) transferred 100% interest in Marelli Automotive Lighting Rus LLC to VB Partners LLC.

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Marelli

The history of the Ryazan plant begins in 1996, when the company belonged to the German concern Bosch. It subsequently came under the control of Italy's Magnetti Marelli before becoming part of Marelli following the sale of its division of Japan's Calsonic Kansei to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2018.

The new owners of VB Partners are former employees of the Troika Dialog investment company: Mikhail Broitman (40%), Vagan Babloyan (30%) and Elena Orlova (30%), who previously held the post of CEO of Cue Capital LLC.

The Ryazan company supplied headlights, lights and turn signals to the conveyors of leading automakers, including AvtoVAZ, GAZ, UAZ, as well as Russian factories Volkswagen and Renault.

Despite successful operations in the past, the company has faced financial difficulties since 2020, operating at a loss for three consecutive years. Cash losses were associated, among other things, with impairment of assets against the background of the geopolitical situation.

Marelli Concern by October 7, 2024 continues to own production in St. Petersburg - Marelli Rus LLC, but the company plans to liquidate it by the end of 2025. The production lines of the St. Petersburg plant will be transferred to AvtoVAZ and AvtoZavod St. Petersburg LLC, which currently owns the former Nissan plant.^[1]

Departure from Russia, transfer to the enterprise "Autozavod St. Petersburg"

Italian-Japanese car component manufacturer Marelli is leaving Russia. About the liquidation of its St. Petersburg branch - the enterprise "Marelli Rus" - said its director Artem Surkov. According to him, the company transfers its assets to the St. Petersburg Automobile Plant.

There are no prospects , the global corporation left with Nissan, and we are at the stage of termination of operating activities, "Surkov said in a conversation with Fontanka, adding that the procedure should be fully completed in May 2024.

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Marelli

Nissan was the main customer of Marelli Rus, receiving 95% of its products. According to the top manager, it is not suitable for AvtoVAZ models and other cars that are assembled in Russia. The company's dependence on supplies from abroad also played a role.

Globally, the company supplied components, we cast something locally, assembled with the parts that were supplied to us, and all this was sent to Nissan. If there are no components for the current production, then there is nothing to assemble from, even if we wanted, "concluded Artem Surkov.

Marelli Rus was registered in 2012 in St. Petersburg. The company was located on the territory of the Nissan Motor Manufacturing plant. She was engaged in the assembly, welding and stamping of parts for cars. 

Avtosavod St. Petersburg itself, which becomes the owner of Marelli Rus, was transferred to state ownership to avoid sanctions risks.

Marelli is one of the world's largest manufacturers of automotive components. By February 2024, the concern has about 50 production centers on these continents, in, and, and North America To Europe China development bases are located in,,, USA Great Britain France China and. Japan It is engaged in the production of, among other things, cabin modules, exhaust systems, devices, electronic components, etc.^[2]

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