Dana enhances electromobility capabilities by acquiring SME Group

Dana Incorporated has completed the acquisition of the SME Group, headquartered in Arzignano, Italy, which designs, engineers, and manufactures low-voltage AC induction and synchronous reluctance motors, inverters, and controls for a wide range of off-highway electric vehicle applications, including material handling, agriculture, construction, and automated guided vehicles.

The addition of SME’s low-voltage motors and inverters, which are primarily designed to meet the evolution of electrification in offhighway equipment, significantly expands Dana’s electrified product portfolio.

“Dana’s acquisition of SME enhances our ability to address the electrification and hybridization needs of our customers, while also increasing the potential for incremental content per vehicle,” said Jim Kamsickas, president and chief executive officer of Dana. “SME’s exceptional electric motor and inverter products, which largely support off-highway applications, are highly complementary to the technologies we acquired with TM4, which are predominately focused on light- and commercial-vehicle applications.” Dana’s existing portfolio of Spicer Electrified with TM4 motors and inverters combined with SME’s lowvoltage motors will expand the company’s capabilities to applications ranging up to 250kW. The privately held SME Group employs more than 100 people and operates in China, Germany, Canada, and Italy.

Dana’s electrification capabilities will be further strengthened by the anticipated acquisition of the Drive Systems segment of the Oerlikon group, enabling Dana to provide products for a broad range of hybrid and electric-vehicle configurations. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019.