Henniges Automotive Establishes Second Strategic Alliance with Burkool S.A. to Serve Brazilian Market

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 17, 2016 – Henniges Automotive Holdings, Inc., a leading global supplier of highly engineered sealing and anti-vibration systems for the automotive market, today announced it has expanded its partnership with Burkool S.A., a sealing solutions manufacturer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to create a strategic alliance serving the needs of the automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in Brazil. This agreement follows a strategic alliance established by the companies in 2013 to service the automotive market in Argentina.

The new partnership, based in Porto Alegre, Brazil, creates a local resource to address customer needs within their own region. The agreement continues to expand the global footprint of Henniges Automotive and will provide a sealing solutions source for automakers in the region. Henniges and Burkool, both leading suppliers of sealing solutions for the automotive industry, design and develop a variety of weather strips and seals for doors, hoods, rear compartments, and inner and outer belts that prevent water, air and dust from entering a vehicle’s interior and other critical spaces.

“This strategic alliance will combine our global engineering and technical expertise with the regional insight and local knowledge of an established and trusted partner in Burkool,” said Larry Rollins, Henniges COO. “By leveraging the complementary capabilities of both organizations, we will be able to quickly and effectively enter the Brazilian market to deliver solutions to current and future customers there.”

“As a growing global supplier of sealing and anti-vibrations systems, Henniges has a long history of keeping vehicles quiet and dry. This alliance with Burkool will help us further support our customers’ unique needs in their local markets,” added Boris Gavric, Henniges global vice president of sales and marketing. “This partnership will utilize Burkool’s established relationships and capabilities in South America to apply our technical knowledge and significant expertise in adapting our solutions for customers around the world.”

Henniges has provided sealing and anti-vibration technologies to world-class vehicles for more than 100 years. Its engineering and manufacturing facilities employ best practices to drive continuous improvement and ensure designs are focused on quality fit and function in every situation. Argentina-based Burkool, with more than 70 years of sealing experience, is a leading producer of rubber and plastic seals, weatherstrips and all types of extruded profiles for automotive OEMs.

“With the great success and key learnings from our previous alliance with Henniges, we are excited to launch this new venture in Brazil and are confident in its purpose and implementation,” said Matias Graviotto, CEO or Burkool. “The partnership will not only assist in expanding our reach but also play a key role in delivering the highest quality products for customers in our region.

About Burkool S.A.

Burkool S.A. is an Argentine Company that has spent more than 60 years bringing sealing solutions for the comfort of our customer. We provide rubber and plastic seals, weatherstrips and all types of extruded profiles for the automotive industry. We are direct suppliers for OEM automotive customers and we produce products for aftermarket and have 60% of Argentina’s market share. We also export to more than 20 countries in the world.

About Henniges Automotive

Henniges provides automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with sealing systems for doors, windows, trunks, lift gates, sunroofs and hoods. The company also supplies the automotive market with anti-vibration products, encapsulated glass, and other rubber components. Henniges sells to all major Automotive OEM customers and operates facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The company has 7,700 employees worldwide.