Inalfa Roof Systems

Car roof systems

Business activity and description

Inalfa Roof Systems (“Inalfa”) is a first tier supplier of car sunroofs to the global automotive industry. It has technical and production centres in the US, Europe and Asia, supplying almost every OEM worldwide.

Deal Information

• Deal type: Tade sale
• Date of investment: November 2002
• Date of exit: August 2011
• Bought from: Family owners
• Sold to: Beijing Hainachuan Automotive Parts Co.

Investment rationale

At the time of AAC’s acquisition, Inalfa was a fast growing, technology driven company, supplying the global automotive industry with standard car sunroofs and advanced panorama roofs. During AAC’s ownership, the company has experienced sizable sales growth driven by its leading technology and product innovation, a strong order book, further OEM-customer diversification, and has undergone considerable professionalization through introduction of various operational excellence and best practice programs. Inalfa’s management and AAC also effectively focussed on the company’s geographical expansion, a recurring theme in AAC’s track record, which centred around building a presence in fast-growing Asian automotive markets (notably Korea and China), resulting in a significant interest in Inalfa of global trade buyers.