CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- SPX Corp. has announced that its SPX Service Solutions business unit is strengthening its alliance with Launch Tech Company Limited of China, a global player in the automotive aftermarket.

SPX recently purchased additional shares in the company, expanding its minority equity position to approximately 7 percent. This month, David Kowalski, SPX segment president, met in Shenzhen, China, with Louis Liu, chairman of Launch Tech and Charles Liu, CEO of Launch Tech, regarding additional project development under the cooperation agreement between the two companies.

In July, SPX announced that its SPX Service Solutions business unit had entered into a framework agreement for a strategic alliance with Launch Tech. That agreement calls for the evaluation of global co-marketing programs and distribution networks. Nina Liu, managing director of SPX Asia Pacific, was elected as a member of the board of directors of Launch Tech in October 2010.

Founded in 1992, Launch Tech manufactures and markets a wide range of automotive aftermarket equipment and service solutions for repair centers and currently serves 400 distributors in 60 countries. In 2009, the company reported $68 million in revenues, with approximately 50 percent of those sales generated in China, where it is a leading provider of aftermarket diagnostic tools. Launch Tech, in addition to its positions in Europe and North America, also has a leading presence in many other key emerging regions of the world.