Tata Steel to get 45% stake in Thyssenkrupp joint venture

The changes happened after Thyssenkrupp's activist shareholders pressured management to squeeze better terms from the deal, which was originally a 50-50 split

 

 

Share Market News » Thyssenkrupp AG and Tata Steel Ltd. are closing in on a European steel joint venture after a last-minute change to the deal terms that won approval from Thyssenkrupp’s union.

In the revised deal, Thyssenkrupp will own about 55 per cent of the equity in the new company and Tata will have 45 per cent, according to people familiar with the matter. The changes happened after Thyssenkrupp’s activist shareholders pressured management to squeeze better terms from the deal, which was originally a 50-50 split. The voting rights will be equally split.

The talks over the joint venture have dragged on for more than a year and faced opposition from labour representatives, as well as activist shareholders. Thyssenkrupp’s labour representatives said on Thursday they would vote in favour of the joint venture, paving the way for it to go through.

Elliott Management Corp. and Cevian had argued that the terms needed to be improved after a long slump in Tata’s European steel profits. The new agreement represents an increase of more than 600 million euros ($695 million) for Thyssenkrupp shareholders compared with the previous deal, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public.

Changes to the deal follow weeks of mounting pressure on Thyssenkrupp’s Chief Executive Officer Heinrich Hiesinger by activist shareholders and labour representatives to get a better deal after profits plunged at Tata’s European steel business.

Even though the union will approve the deal, Thyssenkrupp shouldn’t be "scrapped like a used car," said Wilhelm Segerath, chairman of the General Works Council and a member of Thyssenkrupp’s supervisory board. Equity investors and labor unions are equally represented on Thyssenkrupp’s supervisory board, giving them both influence over the deal.

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Lenders choose Tata Steel as preferred bidder for Bhushan Power & Steel

Tata Steel has already bagged Bhushan Steel, which has a capacity of 5.6 million tonnes.

Stock Market News » The committee of creditors (CoC) for Bhushan Power & Steel has decided on Tata Steel as the preferred bidder. The battle for Bhushan Power & Steel was closely fought between UK-based Liberty House, which submitted a late bid, and Tata Steel. People in the banking sector said that both bids were in close range initially.

"The difference was in the range of Rs 5-10 billion. Tata had offered around Rs 175 billion and Liberty Rs 180 billion as immediate upfront to financial creditors. But if you consider operational creditors, including employees, the Tata Steel bid looked slightly better. There is no standardised format to decide on what basis to select the bid," they said. Tata Steel's bid also has an additional capital infusion of Rs 75 billion. Subsequently, the CoC wanted comfort that Liberty House and Tata Steel can bring in the cash.

"In the case of Liberty House, finances were not fully tied up and the CoC felt the Tata bid was better, as it was fully backed by financial arrangement. The matter has been referred accordingly to the tribunal, which has to take a call," said the people cited above. They added that in terms of track record, the CoC felt Tata Steel was a more established player. A Liberty House spokesperson said there was no information on the bid.

The matter was slated for hearing in the National Company Appellate Law Tribunal (NCLAT). Last week, Liberty had presented bank guarantees before the lenders. The NCLAT, where the matter is being heard, had asked the CoC to go ahead with the selection process and keep its decision in a sealed cover. The final decision would be subject to the outcome of the NCLAT verdict.

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