Linamar buys three battery enclosure factories

In a deal that boosts its electrified product portfolio, Ontario-based automotive parts maker Linamar Corp. is buying the battery enclosures business of global mobility systems supplier Dura-Shiloh, a Middleground Capital portfolio company, for US$325 million.

The deal includes three factory locations: in Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Czechia; and North Macedonia. All three sites manufacture advanced battery enclosures for battery electric vehicle (BEV) applications, Linamar officials said in a May 30 news release.

Linamar says it currently has several battery tray and enclosures programs in production both in North America and Europe, including both cast aluminum and welded fabricated aluminum assembly designs. “The acquisition of Dura Shiloh’s battery enclosures business will add to that, bringing multi-material (high strength steel and composite) designs with precision bonding into the product range,” the release said.

“We are creating a significant Structures & Chassis business that is focused on both electrification as well as propulsion agnostic opportunities,” Linamar executive chair and CEO Linda Hasenfratz said. “This latest announcement of acquiring Dura Shiloh’s battery enclosures business is another milestone achieved in that strategy.”

The deal is expected to close during the third quarter of 2023.

Linamar is headquartered in Guelph, Ont.