Standard Motor Products Inc. (SMP) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire General Cable Corp.’s automotive ignition wire business for approximately $71 million, subject to post-closing adjustments. The acquisition will include the purchase of General Cable’s automotive ignition wire business in North America, as well as a subsidiary in Mexico. Sales volume for this business in 2015 was approximately $96 million.

SMP says it will fund the acquisition, as well as the one-time costs for acquisition and integration expenses, in cash through borrowings under its revolving credit facility. The transaction is expected to close in the near future. The integration process of the acquired business will take approximately 12 to 18 months.

Eric Sills, Standard Motor Products’ CEO and president, stated, “We are very pleased to announce this acquisition. General Cable is a fine company with a long and successful history in this field. They supply some of the most prestigious customers in the industry. Our goal will be to maintain the best features of both companies to become the best possible ignition wire supplier to all General and SMP customers. We believe the acquisition will be accretive to earnings in year one, excluding one-time integration costs.”