ACL Distribution, Inc. has announced the acquisition of the assets of ACL Bearing Company of Tasmania, Australia.

ACL Distribution of Grand Rapids, MI, is a manufacturer and distributor of engine bearings for the automotive aftermarket. ACL Distribution of Grand Rapids, MI, is a manufacturer and distributor of engine bearings for The Bearing Company, a supplier of ACL Distribution.

The company was a manufacturer of bearings and other automotive components for the original equipment and replacement markets throughout the world until entering receivership in 2009. The Bearing Company is the primary source for the U.S. company’s Race Series brand performance bearings.

ACL plans to open a plant and manage production in Tasmania by the end of the year. The new company will focus exclusively on manufacturing performance bearings as well as traditional bearings for car and light truck. There will be no OEM production.

In announcing the transaction, Tim Vehlewald, President and CEO of ACL Distribution, remarked, “The acquisition is a serious event for ACL Distribution. We now have  control of our destiny in that the output of three factories in Tasmania is at our command,” he said.

Vehlewald said the purchase will allow his company to oversee production and allows them to produce Race Series bearings as required.

“That was not always the situation since our race series orders took a back seat to OEM needs,” Vehlewald said. “That circumstance frequently resulted in delivery delays for us and, subsequently, for our customers. And when you factor in the required shipping time from Australia to the U.S., the problem compounded.”

Vehlewald said too often, the bearing producer we had to air-freight containers from Tasmania to Grand Rapids to meet deadlines.

“That’s all changed – for us and our customers,” he said.