Thread: No more Maxi

Apparently Mal is a bit fed up with the fact that there have been a number of tyre-kickers offering to buy the business and then the offers evaporating. Can't balme him. He's not about to give the business away - my personal opinion is that it is worth the asking price and has excellent scope for expansion assuming someone with good business acumen were involved. Apparently if its not sold by 20th next month, it will be closed. Finis. The End. That would be a real shame, as they make fantastic gear.

Best to Mal. Hope he gets over his health problems, or is at least able to manage them.


Lotto gods indeed. Picture it now. Maxi-Drive Engineeriing. An adjoining nice big showroom of LR goods and parts - the name Traxide is one that springs to mind, amongst others.

Seriously with all the good gear that gets flogged through this forum it could definitely be a goer. Just need to get more of thos silly Toyota people driving Landies and (perish the thought) the business could also develop products for other vehicles. Yep, bring on the lotto gods.

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Now there is a business I would love to manage, not nearly enough zeros in the bank account though

I hope Mal gets better and somebody picks up this wonderfull business.

The price for the business is very good but that is only the beginning. You need a lot of capital behind you.
For instance, Mal would order $50,000 of steel at a time to make axles. With A frame ball joints he would produce about 5000 in a run.
Its not really a back yard or spare time business.
He exports to around 70 countries including GB.
It would take a huge commitment.
I would think someone like Marks Adaptors would be the go ?
Macnammara is making 24 spline axles but Mal doesn't
know what they are like !
It doesn't matter about A frame ball joints because
you can still get original even tho they not adjustable
and are a thro away item. My new Maxi balljoint went
in yesterday, along with me new clutch slave cylinder.
ARB make an excelent air locker.
The concern is the axles and getting Maxi reinforced
and modified diff housings etc.
Oh cripes.

Originally Posted by olbod

The price for the business is very good but that is only the beginning. ...
...The concern is the axles and getting Maxi reinforced
and modified diff housings etc.
Oh cripes.

Have to agree with you, the only place in the world where you can get new rear axle half-shafts for a series 1 fully floating is Maxi-Drive albeit with the 24 spline outer end. (Which can be overcome with a star pattern drive flange and 24 spline broach.)

Getting special axles made to mate non-standard components is also a problem. Like my ENV to Stage 1. A friend had half-shafts made by someone else and in the hardening process they turned into banana shaped throw aways. None of that with Maxi's.

Diana

I dont know his asking price but if it was viable I would be interested.

OK its too much for me

After reading this news I thought I had best bite the bullet and get the Maxi Locker and Axles for the Defender.

Gave Ivan Clarke of Clarke Automotive the go-ahead to order etc. - and brought him up to date regarding the closure etc.

Well, he has spoken to the Man himself - apparantly the business will continue. A staff member will take it over and continue making the axles, lockers etc which we so dearly love.

Ivan's not a man to mince his words so I have no reason to question what he has told me.

That's good news for us, now we need to hope Mal has good news and makes a recovery.......and enjoy a well-earnt retirement with his family.

Originally Posted by Grimace

I dont know his asking price but if it was viable I would be interested.

OK its too much for me

Hi People

You can all put down your worry beads, have just been talking to Mal on other matters and there are contingency plans to continue the Maxi business if not sold but may mean breaking up of the business with manufacturing here and Europe by the successor companies. Mal and Paula will no longer be involved in the business after this happens.

There is also a correction to the pricing on the letter,
Goodwill has been reduced to $375,000.00
Plant and Equipment was a typo and should be $180,000.00
Stock has been selling so the value of that has also changed although production continues (and will after the end of October)

Mal wants to retire so is not interested in ongoing payment plans etc. Barry an employee of the company is also interested in buying in but does not have the collateral so yet another option should someone be interested in a partnership. (With all the problems those sort of businesses can have.)

Hope this assists.

Diana

geez, i wonder how many new order mal got over the last 24hrs when it was indicated that there was no more production

i told a mate that he had better hurry up and buy some axles before there were none left, he was planning on buying them in december just before our trip