Francisco Partners, a leading global investment firm specializing in technology businesses, has acquired OEConnection (OEC), a premier technology and data solutions provider for the automotive aftersales industry, for an undisclosed amount. This corporate acquisition marks a significant development in the automotive parts and repair ecosystem.
OEC was founded in 2000 by major auto players General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, and Bell & Howell to address the inefficiencies of manual parts transactions between OEMs, dealerships, and repair shops. Pioneering e-commerce solutions like CollisionLink and D2DLink, OEC established itself as a critical digital backbone. Today, its platform facilitates connections across the entire vehicle parts and repair lifecycle, serving dealers, suppliers, repairers, manufacturers, insurers, and fleets with technology and data services in its Marketplace, Insights, and Supply Chain pillars. The company has facilitated over $14 billion in North American e-commerce and more than $30 billion in global trade in the past year alone.
The acquisition is strategically aligned with Francisco Partners' focus on investing in market-leading technology companies that provide mission-critical solutions. OEC’s established leadership and comprehensive platform for automotive aftersales workflows present a compelling opportunity for continued growth and innovation. The investment firm aims to support OEC in enhancing its product offerings and expanding its global reach.
This transaction is expected to leverage Francisco Partners’ operational and strategic expertise to further strengthen OEC’s position as the industry's go-to platform. The combined entity will focus on accelerating OEC's development of advanced solutions, ensuring repairers and suppliers can more efficiently manage parts procurement, gain deeper market insights, and optimize their supply chains to meet the evolving demands of the automotive sector.