manufacturing
Japan's Aspirant leads $223m manufacturing carve-out
Japanese private equity firm Aspirant Group has led the 100% acquisition of a copper tubing subsidiary of diversified industrial manufacturer UACJ Corporation for about JPY24 billion ($223 million).
Panasonic, VCs back Series B for Japan robotics player
Panasonic Corporation has joined a group of Japanese venture capital firms in a JPY900 million ($8.3 million) Series B round for local industrial robotics systems developer Linkwiz.
Oriental Fortune agrees $173m China auto parts deal
Chinese mid-market private equity firm Oriental Fortune Capital has agreed to acquire a controlling interest in Changzhou NRB Corporation, a domestic auto components manufacturer, for RMB1.2 billion ($173 million).
Ascendent backs $197m take-private for China Automation
Ascendent Capital Partners has joined Xuan Ruiguo, the chairman and founder of Hong Kong-listed industrial control systems maker China Automation Group, in a take-private offer that values the company at HK$1.5 billion ($197 million).
KKR to sell Korean battery components maker for $1b
KKR is set for the first exit from its third Asian fund, having agreed to sell Korean copper foils manufacturer KCF Technologies to an affiliate of SK Group for KRW1.2 trillion ($1 billion).
CDPQ invests $206m in India's Mahindra
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) has invested INR14.2 billion ($205.8 million) in Indian automotive conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra through a public market transaction.
Australian wi-fi chipmaker Morse Micro secures $17m
A group of Australian VCs including Blackbird Ventures has invested about A$24 million ($17 million) in local wi-fi and internet-of-things (IoT) chipmaker Morse Micro.
Flipkart's Bansal leads $51m round for India EV player
Sachin Bansal, co-founder of Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart, has led a $51 million investment in local electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Ather Energy.
Food tech: Irresistible recipes
Food technology is a virtually endless horizon of profound and unignorable investment imperatives mistaken as a niche category. Alternative protein is the first opportunity set to gain serious traction
Japanese food tech start-up secures Series A round
Japan’s Base Food, a company that produces packaged meals that are said to be nutritionally complete, has raised JPY400 million ($3.7 million) in Series A funding from a group including Global Brain.
China-US trade: Opening gambit
Investors see short-term challenges in the ongoing China-US trade conflict, but longer-term opportunities are expected to emerge from the decoupling of the two economic giants
Adamantem makes $69m bid for Australia's Legend Corp
The board of Australian electrical products manufacturer Legend Corporation has endorsed a takeover bid from Adamantem Capital at an enterprise valuation of A$100.6 million ($69.7 million).
ADV to buy heavy vehicles unit from India's Tata
ADV Partners has agreed to acquire heavy vehicles producer Dutch Lanka Trailer Manufacturers (DLT), a Sri Lanka-based subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Tata Group, for INR3.05 billion ($43.7 million).
Q&A: Xpeng's Brian Gu
Brian Gu, vice chairman and president of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng, explains how the private equity-backed company is trying to stand out in a competitive and fast-changing market
GSR, BAI lead round for Chinese industrial SaaS provider
GSR Ventures and Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI) have led an RMB150 million ($22 million) Series B round for Black Lake Technology, a China-based supplier of data collection, visualization and analysis to factories.
True North exits India seasoning business
Switzerland-based perfume and flavorings manufacturer Firmenich has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Indian seasonings business VKL Flavors, providing a full exit for True North.
Deal focus: Blackstone takes over EPL's packaging empire
The Blackstone Group has agreed to buy an Indian packaging manufacturer that provides tubes for 40% of the world's toothpaste. The goal is to turn it into a true multinational
Chinese EV battery maker raises $120m in pre-IPO round
Phylion Battery, a China-based manufacturer or lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EV), has raised RMB810 million ($120 million) in a pre-IPO round led by Yingke Private Equity.
Magic Leap gets $280m from Docomo, targets Japan expansion
Magic Leap, a US virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) goggles maker backed by several private equity firms, has secured $280 million for a Japanese expansion from NTT Docomo.
Unilever Ventures backs Australia skincare brand
Unilever Ventures, the VC arm of consumer goods giant Unilever, has provided an early-stage round of undisclosed size to Australian skincare brand Dr Roebuck’s.
Singapore biomaterials player gets $22m
RWDC Industries, a Singapore-based materials developer focused on biodegradable plastics, has raised $22 million from a group of investors including Vickers Venture Partners.
Blackstone to acquire India's Essel Propack
The Blackstone Group has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Indian packaging company Essel Propack (EPL) in a deal that could see the private equity firm pay as much as INR32.1 billion ($461 million).
EVs: Chemical balance
Investors targeting electric vehicles must consider strategies that support the underlying technical development of the industry. The underdeveloped battery segment is ripe for digitization
INCJ leads $230m round for Japan's JOLED
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has led a JPY25.5 billion ($230 million) round for domestic display screen manufacturer and technology developer JOLED.