Auto industry

FP buys education software; execs underwhelmed by M&A ROI; aerospace, auto deals soar.

Stellex backs auto parts distributor Fenix Parts; Shore Capital buys Hulin Health; Arsenal invests in Fralock; C-suite execs predict improvement in global M&A.

Outdoor activity retailer Camping World expands; Federated Investors backs London fund manager; payments processors merge.

Ardian, which backs dozens of companies including vacation planner Lastminute.com, raises new fund; AutoCanada and others are snatching up all things car-related; Abry Partners buys SiteLock.

Intel bought Mobileye, and Delphi bought nuTonomy. Meanwhile, CenterOakPartners, Clearlake and Wabash National are scooping up makers of traditional car parts.

The sale marks a shift in a car-parts industry that’s preparing for an era of battery-powered and eventually driverless vehicles.

The deal comes amid good news for manufacturing; U.S. factories expanded in February at the fastest rate since May 2004.

An increasing number of family-run businesses in the lower middle-market are turning to private equity capital to finance their growth strategies.

Arsenal, FFL Partners and Industrial opporttunity Partners are active buyers of foam products as well.

FullSpeed Automotive operates auto-care facilities using the Grease Monkey, SpeeDee, LubePro and Money Shine brands.