MaxiPARTS completes $7.87M acquisition of Air Brake Systems
What's the deal? MaxiPARTSDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has completed its US$7.25M (≈$7.87 million) acquisition of Air Brake Systems (ABS), an Australian commercial-vehicle braking specialist. The listed distributor confirmed completion in an ASX announcement dated October 19, 2026.
The terms: MaxiPARTS pays 75% of the consideration on completion, with two deferred payments of 12.5% at one and two years, each tied to performance conditions. The price equates to four times ABS's average operating EBITDA.
What ABS brings: Founded in 1991 and based in Hornsby, New South Wales, ABS employs around 20 people and generates roughly US$12.9M in annual revenue. About 60% of that comes from brake kits sold to trailer manufacturers; the rest spans aftermarket parts, technical support, and telematics.
ABS is one of three authorised WABCO original-equipment brake distributors in Australia and also supplies Raufoss, Kongsberg, Knorr-BremseDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and HaldexDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → products.
The numbers: MaxiPARTS said the deal will add 17% to earnings per share before synergies and should contribute to earnings from the first year. It forecasts an operating EBITDA contribution of US$3.56M by the 2029 financial year — a company estimate, not an achieved result.
What's the endgame? MaxiPARTS plans to pair ABS's product range and technical knowledge with its national warehousing and distribution footprint. It sees room to consolidate procurement, broaden braking availability, and strengthen ties with trailer manufacturers, while the deal opens an entry into telematics.
Why now? The acquisition follows Ares ManagementDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s withdrawal in September of a non-binding, US$1.62-a-share takeover proposal that valued MaxiPARTS at about US$85.4M. With that bid gone, the company is pursuing a standalone growth plan.
Managing director Peter Loimaranta said the deal brings together "two businesses with a shared commitment to meeting customers' needs through high-quality service, products and solutions."
The signal: For MaxiPARTS, the move is a bolt-on that deepens its heavy-vehicle parts network after rebuffing an outside buyer. No comparable recent sector deal surfaced in reporting, making the significance here chiefly strategic — scale and specialist capability over market-wide consolidation.
Read more: australiancustomtrucks.com.au
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
