Multimatic Acquires PKM Consulting, a Leading Supplier of High-Performance Racing Dampers

• The acquisition strengthens Multimatic’s commitment to engineering and supplying championship-winning motorsport dampers, including servicing and maintenance.
• PKM Consulting will join as an autonomous division of Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations and become responsible for all racing damper operations by 2027.
• The acquisition enables Multimatic to offer the best products with quality service to manufacturers and privateer teams through PKM Consulting, a dedicated racing damper division.

 

MARKHAM, ON, Canada (December 4, 2024) – Multimatic, a privately held, global enterprise supplying components, systems, and engineering services to the automotive industry, has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in PKM Consulting, a leading supplier and service provider of advanced racing dampers with significant championship pedigree across multiple motorsport disciplines.

PKM Consulting is joining Multimatic as an autonomous division of its Special Vehicle Operations Group and will become responsible for all racing damper operations by 2027, with full support from Multimatic and complete access to its resources, innovation, and expertise.

The agreement is structured for a seamless transition without any disruption to PKM Consulting’s management and operations, with a priority on maintaining the strong integrity of all customer relationships and confidentiality. As part of this commitment, PKM Consulting’s three founding partners will remain on the management team. Thierry Gravier has been appointed General Manager, with Paul-Etienne Berthe and Emmanuel Pereira fulfilling the roles of Assistant General Managers.

“We are incredibly pleased to join forces with PKM Consulting to expand the knowledge base and operational footprint of our racing damper business,” said Pascal Zurlinden, Vice President Operations of the Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations Group. “As family owned and operated organizations, we are fully dedicated to the long-term success of our customers competing around the world. This agreement significantly elevates our ability to achieve this goal through the tremendous expertise of talented individuals from both companies, as well as our combined operational capabilities.”

Founded in 2008, PKM Consulting started as a motorsport consulting company to assist teams and manufacturers in optimizing vehicle dynamics performance, based in Signes, France, close to the Paul Ricard racetrack. In response to increasing demand, the company began producing its own successful range of racing dampers. PKM Consulting’s customer results over the last decade have confirmed the performance of their dampers and services by winning the World Rally Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. With a focus on innovation and the pursuit of performance, PKM Consulting has also become a leader in other areas of motorsport, including highly innovative hydraulic jacks for rallying and other hydraulic systems for race cars.

“I am excited to start the next chapter in PKM Consulting’s legacy. Our access to Multimatic’s extensive resources and expertise will greatly benefit every single one of our customers,” said Thierry Gravier, President of PKM Consulting. “As an important part of the agreement, Paul-Etienne, Emmanuel, and I will continue to serve on the management team to ensure our customer relationships continue to prosper, and we will focus on maintaining upmost confidentiality as is the case in motorsport. There will be no disruption to our operations and services. We look forward to mapping out the future strategy of racing damper technologies with the tremendously talented team at Multimatic!”

The acquisition enables Multimatic to offer the best products with quality service to manufacturers and privateer teams through a dedicated racing damper division via PKM Consulting, without compromising the growing demand of spool valve dampers for production vehicle applications.

About Multimatic

Multimatic is a privately held, global enterprise supplying components, systems, and engineering services to the automotive industry.

Multimatic’s core competencies include the engineering and manufacturing of complex mechanisms, body hardware, suspension systems and body structures, as well as the design and development of lightweight composite automotive systems. In addition, Multimatic delivers niche vehicle design, development and production for road and race applications.

Headquartered near Toronto, Canada, Multimatic has manufacturing divisions and engineering facilities in North America, Europe, Asia, and alliance relationships with partners around the world.

Multimatic is comprised of five operating groups: Multimatic Mechanisms, Multimatic Structures & Suspension, Multimatic Engineering, Multimatic Niche Vehicles, and Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations.

For further information, please visit www.multimatic.com.

About PKM Consulting

Located within the Parc d’activités in Signes (France), just along the Paul Ricard track, PKM Consulting is specialized dynamic studies and competition vehicles development.

Today PKM Consulting has become a manufacturer of shock absorbers and imposes itself worldwide in different disciplines.

Throughout the years, PKM Consulting has become a reference partner in terms of suspension for all competition vehicles.

Born under the sign of innovation and modernity, PKM Consulting received the best technical innovation award in January 2010 at the Autosport Engineering International Show for its POWERSHOCK technology.

PKM Consulting design bureau can devise and develop new technologies as well as adapt its products to customers’ needs and requirements.

With experience at the highest level (24 Hours of Le Mans, WRC) and in all disciplines (road course, rally, hill climbs, vintage racing), PKM Consulting offers a factory service to each of its customer, relying on its know-how (design, data acquisition analysis) and its professional equipment (electromagnetic dyno, technical assistance truck).

Supporting all competitors, PKM Consulting is able to work with all dampers brands and offers maintenance service, calibration, dyno test.