Tokyo – Friday, 26 February 2021 – CLSA Capital Partners, the asset management business of CLSA, is pleased to announce that Sunrise Capital IV (“Sunrise IV”) has acquired a majority stake in HOKUTO Co., Ltd. (“HOKUTO” or “the Company”), a full-turnkey supplier mainly focusing on the automotive industry. The transaction was finalized on 16 February 2021.
Sunrise IV, a fund of CLSA Capital Partners, invests in established, mid-cap companies with strong growth potential in Japan.
HOKUTO is a state-of-the-art full-turnkey supplier providing full-service support from engineering to production line automation represented by its world-class automated body assembly production lines for the automotive industry as well as across various other industrial sectors. The Company is capable of providing end-to-end solutions in-house from engineering of the production line, specification inspections, designing and manufacturing, launching new facilities and quality refining and assurance. Prior to the construction of the physical production lines, HOKUTO designs a “virtual” factory utilizing a 3-D automated designing system and robot simulation technology, which virtually inspects the production efficiency, utilization of the facilities and maintenance capabilities. Consequently, the Company is able to reduce costs while providing high value-added and high quality services with shortened delivery time to its clients. In addition, HOKUTO has directly owned overseas factories in China (Tianjin and Shanghai) and in North America (Ohio etc.) and aims to achieve further growth by providing highly convenient services to global blue-chip auto manufacturers by designing and manufacturing in optimal locations.
Following the transaction, Mr. Ryushiro Yoshida, who previously oversaw overall operations including both manufacturing and marketing, was promoted to President and Representative Director of HOKUTO. Mr. Yoshida will own a stake in the Company and Sunrise IV will collaborate with him as a strategic partner in jointly managing HOKUTO. There will be no material changes to HOKUTO’s management, company name and business operations. With this newly formed partnership, Sunrise IV aims to jointly pursue growth initiatives with the Company management, and streamline the organizational framework and internal control functions.
###
About HOKUTO
HOKUTO is a full-turnkey supplier contributing to the future of manufacturing by providing top quality production line automation and engineering represented by its world-class automated body assembly production lines for the automotive industry as well as across various other industrial sectors. The Company is headquartered in Komaki, Aichi.
For more information about HOKUTO, please visit http://www.hkt.co.jp/
About Sunrise Capital
Sunrise Capital, a Japan-dedicated private equity strategy of CLSA Capital Partners, capitalises on opportunities in the mid-cap buyout sector. Sunrise Capital has developed a unique “body-on” approach, which includes seconding professionals to assist portfolio companies in realising their growth potential, and supporting their overseas expansion through CLSA’s global network. Sunrise Capital has raised approximately US$1.5 billion to date and completed investments in approximately 30 companies including both standalone and follow-on investments since its establishment in 2006.
About CLSA Capital Partners
CLSA Capital Partners is the asset management business of CLSA, Asia’s leading capital markets and investment group. Established in 1995, CLSA Capital Partners manages a diversified range of strategies including private equity, real estate, credit and transportation and real assets. From eight offices across Asia-Pacific including Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo, the firm’s experienced investment teams aim to generate attractive returns for clients while ensuring sustained value creation for portfolio companies and investment partners. For more information, visit www.clsacapital.com. For more information about CLSA visit www.clsa.com.
###
For any media enquiries: media@clsa.com