DLA Piper has advised the Japanese subsidiary of the international automotive supplier, Knorr-Bremse AG, headquartered in Sakado-shi, Japan, on the acquisition of a transmission components business for on-highway commercial vehicles from Bosch in Japan for an undisclosed amount.

The acquisition will enable Knorr-Bremse to develop and manufacture gear shift units and clutch actuators, as well as transmission control units for trucks and buses locally for the Asian market, thereby reinforcing its competitive position in the AMT and DCT transmission sector.

The transaction is due to reach completion in the first half of 2017 and is subject to the approval by the antitrust authorities.

Knorr-Bremse, based in Munich, is the world’s leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles. Through the acquisition,  the company is intending to further extend its position of market leadership in the Asian region.

The DLA Piper team, led by partner Dr Kirsten Girnth (Corporate, Frankfurt), included partners Florian Hirschmann (Corporate, Munich), Pascal Kremp (Employment, Munich), Frank Schwem (Finance, Frankfurt), and Martin Heinsius (Tax, Frankfurt), counsel Carlos Robles y Zepf (Corporate), senior associates Dr Katalin Legradi (Finance, both Frankfurt), Kristin Vogt (Corporate, Frankfurt) and Silvio McMiken (Corporate, Munich), as well as associate Niklas Mangels (Corporate, Frankfurt).

Support from DLA Piper's Tokyo office was also provided by Corporate partners, Hajime Iwaki and Masahiko Ishida and Employment partner Lawrence Carter, of counsel Tomoko Saito (Litigation & Regulatory), as well as  associates Tomomi Fujikoug, Shotaro Maruyama, and Kenichiro Omori (all Corporate).