Mark IV Automotive Is Going On Block

Mark IV Automotive, which makes power transmission components for cars and trucks, is seeking a buyer for the company and could fetch more than $600 million, people familiar with the matter told sister news service Reuters. The Troy, Mich.-based business, also known as Dayco, has about $110 million in EBITDA and may be sold for about 5 to 6 times EBITDA, these people said. Lazard Ltd is advising Mark IV on the process, they said.

Dayco is the largest, and the only remaining division of its parent company Mark IV LLC, which recently sold its European air and engine cooling business to Italian auto parts maker Sogefi SpA for an enterprise value of €150 million, or $215 million.

Mark IV, which was acquired by U.S.-based private equity firm Sun Capital Partners Inc. in 2008 from London-based BC Partners Ltd, filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2009, hit hard by declining vehicles sales during the financial crisis. It emerged from bankruptcy later that year.

All the sources asked not to be named because the process is not public. Representatives for Mark IV were not immediately available for comment and Lazard declined to comment.

Mark IV is among a number of formerly bankrupt auto industry assets that have gone on the auction block or tapped markets for an initial public offering this year as vehicle sales recover from pre-recession lows.

(Soyoung Kim is a Reuters journalist in New York.)