Pfäffikon SZ, Switzerland, December 3, 2012 – The Oerlikon Group has signed an agreement with the Jinsheng Group of China to divest the Natural Fibers and Textile Components Business Units from its Textile Segment. The divestment is an important strategic step to optimize and balance Oerlikon’s portfolio by significantly reducing the Group’s overall exposure to the textile industry.
Oerlikon’s Textile Segment will focus on the manmade fiber business, a high performing segment with less cyclicality. The transaction is based on an enterprise value of around CHF 650 million and is expected to close in Q3 2013.
Oerlikon CEO Michael Buscher said: ”This transaction is a further milestone in balancing the Oerlikon portfolio. It significantly reduces our overall exposure to the textile industry and allows us to focus on the less cyclical, higher margin manmade fibers business, which will deliver sustainable benefit to our shareholders, customers and employees."
The divestment of the Natural Fibers and Textile Components Business Units considerably reduces Oerlikon Group’s exposure to the global textile business, whilst retaining and building on its position as a world leader in the manmade fibers segment. With sales of CHF 2.0 billion in 2011, the Textile Segment represented 53 % of total restated Group sales (excluding the recently divested Solar business). The Business Units being sold accounted for sales of CHF 1.1 billion in 2011 and employ around 3 800 employees. After the divestment, the restated share of revenues from the textile sector will be around 33 % of total Group sales.
Process and Guidance
The transaction is subject to merger control approval in a number of countries. Closing is expected in Q3 2013.
Oerlikon will report the Natural Fibers and Textile Components Business Units under “Discontinued Operations” in the 2012 full year accounts. Consequently, Oerlikon updates its guidance for the financial year 2012. Based on preliminary restated FY 2011 Group figures for sales (CHF 2.7 billion), order intake (CHF 2.9 billion) and an accretive EBIT margin impact, Oerlikon expects the following for continuing operations for the financial year 2012:
sales growth of more than 5 % (prior: to be at 2011 levels)
order intake to be close to previous year’s level (prior: up to minus 5 %)
EBIT margin expected to increase by around 1 percentage point on prior guidance (prior: around 12.5 %, reported)
