Metaldyne negotiating $1B in deals

Metaldyne Corp. is negotiating two acquisitions that would add $1 billion to its annual revenues, President and CEO Timothy D. Leuliette tells WAW. Without naming names, Leuliette says one company is a unit of an automotive manufacturer and the other is a supplier. “One has an independent image, and one does not.” Each is in the $500-million range and talks should be complete by midyear, he says. If the negotiations are successful, the acquisitions would boost Metaldyne's annual sales to $3.4 to $3.5 billion. Leuliette also reveals the privately held company will consider a public offering when its revenues reach the $5- to $6-billion mark, which he thinks is feasible by 2005.