In addition to having to manage a portfolio of extraordinary automobile brands, Stellantis was the majority shareholder of the Italian company Comau SpA. But the group has just ceded control of this company.
For the Stellantis group, the year 2024 was particularly difficult. It also ended with the surprise resignation of Carlos Tavares, his boss who was as media-friendly as he was controversial. But the month of December still ends with a “success” for the Euro-American multinational: that of the “transaction Comau”. Little known, the Italian company Comau specializes in industrial automation and advanced robotics. It therefore supplies machine tools which can then be used, for example, to assemble cars, including for Stellantis' competitors. However, the automobile group today prefers “focus on its core activities in Europe”. He therefore chose to cede control of Comau SPA to One Equity Partners, a private equity firm which has already completed more than 400 transactions of this type around the world since 2001.
Stellantis remains minority shareholder
However, the bridges are not completely cut. Stellantis will retain an active role as a minority shareholder. The multinational will therefore still be able to influence the future of the small Italian company, which still has 12 factories located in 12 different countries and 7 innovation centers for a total of 3,700 employees. “I would like to express my gratitude to Comau employees for their commitment to providing innovative products and services to all its customers.”declared John Elkann, the executive chairman and CEO of Stellantis who also serves as interim CEO pending the appointment of Carlos Tavares' successor in early 2025.I am confident that Comau, under its new leadership, has the leadership, strategy and operational discipline to create long-term sustainable value for all its stakeholders, from Italy to the rest of the world.”
