Hopkins is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of branded products for the automotive aftermarket.

www.hopkinsmfg.com

Investment

C$43 million

Fund

ONCAP III

Period

June 2011-Present

ONCAP Team

Michael Lay
Stefan Bars

Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation logo

Transaction Summary

ONCAP acquired majority ownership of Hopkins Manufacturing (“Hopkins”) in June 2011.

Business Description

Hopkins is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of branded products for the automotive aftermarket. Headquartered in Emporia, Kansas, the company manufactures and markets a diverse range of more than 5,000 SKUs across five primary product categories (Towing Electrical, Vehicle Accessories, Winter Care, Fluid Management and Automotive Cleaning) that are sold into almost every retailer of auto aftermarket products in North America (including in the auto retail, mass merchant, auto wholesale, e-commerce, warehouse club and other channels).

Investment Thesis

Hopkins is a leader in its industry with several attractive investment attributes, including:
(i) a stable, growing and highly fragmented industry; (ii) market leadership with significant share across each of its primary product categories; (iii) secure market position and competitive advantages; (iv) diversity across product lines, customers, suppliers and SKUs; (v) attractive cash-flow characteristics; (vi) a strong management team; and (vii) opportunities for both organic and acquisition growth within a fragmented market. ONCAP, in partnership with the management team, aims to create value at Hopkins by further strengthening the company’s product offerings, and entering new channels and product categories, as well as taking advantage of consolidation opportunities within Hopkins’ various segments in the automotive aftermarket.