Macomb Township’s Hicks Plastics Co., a Tier 2 supplier of injection molded and metallized automotive forward lighting components, has been acquired by Sea Link International of Plano, Texas, in an effort to bolster the latter’s domestic manufacturing and assembly capabilities.
Hicks was an attractive acquisition for Sea Link due to its reported reputation for quality and customer service, combined with its manufacturing footprint ideally located in the automotive hubs of Michigan and Tennessee, where it has a secondary facility in Knoxville.
“That makes it a perfect fit for our growing lighting platform,” says Brian McGee, a partner in the New Water Capital private equity firm that owns Sea Link.
Tim Hicks, a second-generation owner of Hicks Plastics, will join Sea Link as a vice president, while continuing to serve as president of Hicks Plastics and oversee its day-to-day operations.
“We look forward to continuing to support Hicks’ longstanding customers and believe this combination with Sea Link will allow us to better serve them in all facets of their operations,” Hicks says.
“The addition of Hicks Plastics to our automotive lighting platform will allow us to further integrate Sea Link’s in-house manufacturing and assembly capabilities,” says Eric Showalter, president and CEO of Sea Link. “This important acquisition will give us increased flexibility and capacity to respond quickly and nimbly to changing market, political and economic conditions.”
