DENVER, Colorado and CHICAGO, April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Schrader International, the leading global manufacturer of sensing and valve solutions including Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) and fluid control components, today announced that Madison Dearborn Partners Global VI-A L.P. and certain affiliated investment funds (Madison Dearborn) and members of Schrader's management team have, through a new company formed for such purpose, completed the acquisition of Schrader from Tomkins Ltd.

Hugh Charvat, President and CEO of Schrader, said, "In Madison Dearborn, we have outstanding partners to work with as we continue to grow our global business. Madison Dearborn shares our belief that Schrader's leadership position in key markets, backed by strong product lines such as TPMS and custom-engineered valves, is the result of our differentiation in the markets we serve. Our global positioning, matched with our scalable growth plan, makes Schrader a very unique and strong company."

Tom Souleles, Managing Director at Madison Dearborn, said, "We are pleased to have invested in Schrader, a company that has distinguished itself in global markets, driven by strong domestic and international OEM demand, a large and growing aftermarket and regulatory requirements for its TPMS technology. The company's outstanding management team has built a world-class infrastructure and a scalable operation to offer industry-leading products and customer service, and we are looking forward to working with Hugh and his team to help Schrader build on this strong foundation and capitalize on numerous growth opportunities."

Schrader has a strong brand, sales, and engineering presence in all major global regions, including more than fifty countries. Schrader manufactures its highly-engineered sensor and valve products from eight manufacturing facilities worldwide. The company's unique technologies can be found within diverse applications across a broad range of end-markets including automotive, aeronautics, heavy-duty/off-road, industrial, mining, medical and energy. For example, Schrader's products can be found on more than half of all global vehicle platforms fitted with direct TPMS, and throughout the growing automotive aftermarket. The patented and programmable Schrader EZ-sensor^[TM] is a cutting-edge replacement sensor solution for aftermarket customers who service the more than 70 million TPMS-equipped vehicles in North America. Schrader also delivers custom-engineered valve and fluid-control components throughout the Industrial markets.

About Schrader® International

Schrader International is the leading global manufacturer of sensing and valve solutions for automotive and industrial leaders, delivering solutions that protect and perform. Schrader is a pioneer in tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), a vehicle safety feature that is now standard on all cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. and growing in use globally, and is the leading supplier of TPMS sensors, valves, tools and training worldwide. Schrader is also widely known as the inventor of the industry-standard pneumatic tire valve − the same valve used on every motor vehicle in the world today. For more information, please visit http://www.SchraderInternational.com.

About Madison Dearborn Partners

Madison Dearborn Partners, based in Chicago, is one of the most experienced and successful private equity investment firms in the United States. Since Madison Dearborn's formation in 1992, the firm has raised six funds with aggregate capital of over $18 billion and has completed approximately 120 investments. Madison Dearborn invests in businesses across a broad spectrum of industries, including basic industries; business and government services; consumer; financial services; health care; and telecom, media and technology services. Its noteworthy investments include Asurion, CDW, Fieldglass, MetroPCS, Nuveen Investments, TransUnion, and Yankee Candle.  For more information, please visit http://www.mdcp.com.

Media Contacts:    

Paul Wise
Director - Product Line Management & Marketing
Schrader International, Inc.
+1(303)744-5647
pwise@schraderintl.com

Chuck Dohrenwend
The Abernathy MacGregor Group, for Madison Dearborn Partners
+1(212)371-5999

COD@ABMAC.COM

SOURCE Schrader International