Houlihan Lokey Advises H2 Equity Partners and Brink International

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Brink International BV (Brink), the leading European towing and carrying solutions specialist, a portfolio company of H2 Equity Partners (H2), has been acquired by AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group GmbH (AL-KO), a subsidiary of US-based DexKo Global Inc. (DexKo).

Brink, with its headquarters in Staphorst, the Netherlands, is one of the European market leaders in towing systems with over 75 years’ experience in the automotive sector. Under the motto “Your Perfect Fit,” the Brink Group offers an easy and safe connection between practically any vehicle and the load you want to carry or tow. The group’s product portfolio includes fixed, detachable, retractable, and next-generation towbars. With this, Brink Group enables millions of end users all over the world to go out and live their active lives. So far, more than 25 million cars have been fitted with a Brink towbar. Brink has approximately 700 employees in eight countries and manufacturing locations in the Netherlands, France, South Africa, and Thailand.

H2 Equity Partners (H2), founded in 1991, is one of Western Europe’s leading and most entrepreneurial "value-add" investment firms, with offices in the Benelux and the United Kingdom. H2 focuses on mid-sized companies with an attractive long-term outlook and significant transformation potential through (accelerated) growth and/or operational improvements.

The AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group is a globally active technology group. As a supplier of high-quality chassis and suspension components for trailers, leisure vehicles, and commercial vehicles, the group is synonymous with functional excellence and superb comfort as well as innovations to enhance driving safety. The AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group includes the 14 international brands AL-KO, Aguti, Bankside Patterson, Bradley, CBE, CM Trailer Parts, E&P Hydraulics, G&S Chassis, Hume, Nordelettronica, Preston Chassis, SAFIM, SAWIKO, and Winterhoff. Founded in 1931, the group today generates sales of around 800 million US dollars with around 3,000 employees and more than 30 sites worldwide. AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of DexKo Global.

DexKo Global Inc. is the world's leading supplier of advanced chassis technology, chassis assemblies, and related components with more than 130 years of experience in trailer and caravan components. DexKo Global was founded at the end of 2015 through the combination of Dexter and AL-KO Vehicle Technology. With its headquarters in Novi, Michigan, the company employs more than 5,000 associates with 50 production facilities and 50 distribution centers. DexKo Global Inc. has a turnover of more than US $2.0 billion, and AL-KO is a wholly owned subsidiary of DexKo Global Inc. and has been a leading manufacturer of trailer axles and trailer brakes for over 60 years for utility trailer, recreation vehicle, heavy duty, manufactured housing, agricultural, marine, and specialty trailer applications.

Both companies offer a highly engineered product portfolio critical to safety and performance. The acquisition of Brink enables DexKo to expand its portfolio into the area of engineered towing and carrying solutions, while the connection between towbars and DexKo trailer couplings expands DexKo’s overall technological scope—highlighting the strong strategic fit between Brink and DexKo. The transaction enables Brink Group to accelerate its international growth path and benefit from DexKo’s significant scale.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Brink International and H2 Equity Partners and assisted in marketing, structuring, and negotiating the transaction on their behalf. In addition, Houlihan Lokey’s Debt Capital Markets team conducted a lender education process for financing parties. This transaction highlights Houlihan Lokey’s deeply rooted local presence in the Benelux region and dedicated sector expertise within the leisure, engineered industrials, and automotive verticals. It demonstrates the firm’s capabilities in finding suitable buyers globally in support of the best achievable results, highlighting the success and value of its "global reach, local presence" approach to doing business.