News

Inflexion Private Equity has acquired Xtrac. Financial terms weren’t announced. Xtrac, of the U.K., designs and makes motorsport & high performance automotive transmissions. Cavendish Corporate Finance advised Xtrac.

PRESS RELEASE

London, 25 September 2017 – Cavendish Corporate Finance, the specialist sell-side M&A firm, has advised Xtrac, a world leader in the design and manufacture of motorsport & high performance automotive transmissions, on its sale to Inflexion Private Equity, one of the UK’s leading mid-market private equity firms.  
 
Xtrac supplies most of the world’s top motorsport teams in both two and four-wheeled formulae across the globe, from MotoGP to Formula 1TM. The business enjoys strong EBITDA growth; over 80% of the British manufacturer’s’ revenue is generated through exports, particularly for high performance automotive applications including hybrids and electric vehicles.
 
Xtrac’s well established management team will remain with the business. The fresh investment will help fuel Xtrac’s future growth, supporting its rapidly growing high performance road car division and increasing Xtrac’s team of over 330 in the U.K. and U.S. It will also support the expansion of Xtrac’s factory and purchase of additional world class machinery, accelerating the development of the next generation of high-end automotive transmission systems and advancing its capabilities in hybrid and electric vehicles.
 
Cavendish Corporate Finance, which advised the shareholders and management of Xtrac, has an extensive track record in both engineering and industrials. Recent high profile deals include advising on the sales of leading manufacturer of textiles James Dewhurst Limited to Sioen Industries B.V., thermal and control systems producer VoltAir Systems to Volution Group, and Fandstan Electric Group, a specialist manufacturer of electrical equipment for the global transportation sector, to Wabtec Corporation.
 
The Cavendish deal team was led by Philip Barker, Head of Industrials and by James Ellis, Director.
 
Philip Barker commented: “We are delighted to have advised Xtrac on its sale to Inflexion, allowing Xtrac to remain independent under its existing management team.  We are confident we have found the right buyer to help Xtrac expand its engineering and production facilities and continue its growth trajectory, particularly transmissions for the high-end hyper car sector as well as hybrid and electric vehicle transmission technology.  At Cavendish, we are continuing to see strong, and growing interest in the UK automotive industry from both national and international purchasers in the build-up to Brexit”.
Adrian Moore, Managing Director, Xtrac, commented: “We are proud of the leading global business Xtrac is today; persistent innovation and exceptional customer service remain our highest priorities. Inflexion shares our values; its investment will accelerate our ambitious growth strategy, developing the next generation of high-end automotive transmission systems and expanding our coverage of the high performance hybrid and electric car transmission market. This partnership with Inflexion supports Xtrac’s ethos of employee ownership, and our team look forward to a new chapter in the continuing development and growth of our company.”
 
Simon Turner, Managing Partner, Inflexion, commented: “We are backing a highly experienced management team with serious ambition. Xtrac is a truly exciting business, leading its market with its superior design capabilities and a blue-chip global client base. We bring experience from across the specialist engineering sector with businesses such as Shimtech and Aspen Pumps, and an extensive track record in growing teams to promote sustainable growth. We are delighted to partner with the Xtrac team.”