TOKYO -- U.S. private equity fund Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has offered to help Japan's Takata recover from its global recall of faulty air bags, sources said on Thursday.
KKR wants to bring Takata under its control, in place of the autoparts manufacturer's founding family, which owns a roughly 60% stake. The fund would then lead the company's restructuring, the sources said.
The selection of a sponsor, however, will require the approval of Takata's clients and other interested parties. This means KKR could be in for lengthy negotiations.
KKR has reportedly submitted a restructuring plan to a third-party rehabilitation panel set up by Takata. Details of the plan, such as the amount KKR would invest and how it would acquire the shares, have yet to be confirmed.
The third-party panel on Thursday said it has hired U.S. investment bank Lazard as a financial adviser, and that it will take Lazard's advice into account when choosing a sponsor.
Despite the company's safety woes, Takata could attract a lot of interest from potential sponsors. It controls around 20% of the markets for both air bags and seat belts. The goal is to decide on a backer by this autumn.
100 million vehicles
The recall stems from the use of ammonium nitrate as a propellant in Takata's air bags. Experts say the chemical compound is sensitive to humidity, which makes it more explosive. The U.S. government ordered the company to recall all air bags that do not contain moisture-absorbing desiccant agents. Worldwide, more than 100 million vehicles are likely to be affected.
Honda Motor, the biggest user of Takata air bags, set aside a total of 556 billion yen ($5.06 billion) for fiscal 2014 and 2015, to cover the recall. Toyota Motor and other Japanese automakers, as well as U.S. and European marques, are expected to spend more than 1 trillion yen combined.
The automakers and Takata are to negotiate on how to split these costs. The parts supplier has limited financial leeway: It had 53.7 billion yen in cash and deposits and equity capital of 121.8 billion yen as of the end of March.
Takata has said it would reshuffle its top management and clarify its responsibility for the problems in return for automakers shouldering most of the recall expenses.
(Nikkei)
