A buyer has been found for the last remaining facility operated by insolvent automotive manufacturer AKsys (Worms / Germany; http://www.aksys.de). The plant in Peine / Germany was bought by FPK sa (Zamudio / Spain), which itself belongs to Batz lightweight technologies (Igorre / Spain; www.batz.com). Thanks to the sale, some 100 of the jobs in Peine will be secured, although the insolvency administrator said several positions also had to be shed.

Batz-FPK is part of Mondragon (Mondragon / Spain; www.mondragon-corporation.com), a Basque cooperative engaged in international business. In April this year, the cooperative had acquired the 50% share AKsys formerly held in the FPK joint venture. Mondragon consists of four divisions: finance, industry, trade and intelligence. With 256 member companies and divisions, it is the largest Basque business group and the 7th largest in Spain as a whole. Last year the cooperative’s roughly 85,000 workers generated sales of almost EUR 15 bn.

The Mondragon Automocion division encompasses a group of automotive manufacturers, whose 9,000 employees last recorded sales of about EUR 1.3 bn. For the last 50 years, the Batz affiliate has been developing and manufacturing wheel changing modules and systems, modular pedal systems, hand break components and metallic structural parts. FPK in turn delivers function-oriented structural components made predominantly of reinforced plastics.

AKsys’ plant in Peine manufactures mostly pressed moulds containing chopped strand mats or long glass fibres. Its portfolio includes frontend cross members, spare wheel wells, engine enclosers and underbody panellings. Oskar Goitia, CEO of Mondragon’s automotive division, said a particularly important addition for his cooperative was the know-how of the workers in Peine, as well as the processing technologies, the products and the customers. “This takeover will strengthen our position in Germany”, he added.