Tata Steel and thyssenkrupp have signed a memorandum of understanding to combine their European steel activities in a 50/50 joint venture. Their aim is to create a leading European flat steel player to be positioned as quality and technology leader. The new entity is set to have pro-forma sales of about 15 billion euros and a workforce of about 48,000 at 34 locations. Shipments are envisioned to be about 21 million tons a year.
“Under the planned joint venture, we are giving the European steel activities of thyssenkrupp and Tata a lasting future,” said Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, CEO of thyssenkrupp AG. “We are tackling the structural challenges of the European steel industry and creating a strong No. 2. In Tata, we have found a partner with a very good strategic and cultural fit. Not only do we share a clear performance orientation, but also the same understanding of entrepreneurial responsibility toward workforce and society.”
“The Tata Group and thyssenkrupp have a strong heritage in the global steel industry and share similar culture and values,” said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Steel. “This partnership is a momentous occasion for both partners, who will focus on building a strong European steel enterprise. The strategic logic of the proposed joint venture in Europe is based on very strong fundamentals, and I am confident that thyssenkrupp Tata Steel will have a great future.”
The planned joint venture, to be named thyssenkrupp Tata Steel, will be managed through a lean holding company based in the Netherlands. It is to have a two-tier management structure comprising a management board and a supervisory board. Both boards are to have equal representation from thyssenkrupp and Tata. The co-determination structures in Germany, the Netherlands, and Great Britain will be retained.
thyssenkrupp intends to contribute its Steel Europe business to the planned joint venture. There are also plans for the joint venture to include thyssenkrupp MillServices & Systems GmbH, a steel mill services provider that is part of the materials services business. Tata would add all of their flat steel activities in Europe.
The memorandum of understanding paves the way for thyssenkrupp to involve employee representatives at thyssenkrupp AG and in the steel business in the process ahead on an ongoing basis. All employee participation rights will continue to be respected as before.
In the months ahead, due diligence will be conducted. In the process, the negotiating parties will give each other access to confidential business documents to the extent permissible between competitors. Based on this, as well as on discussions with the entire supervisory board, it is envisaged to sign a contract in early 2018. Closing — the effective start of the joint venture — could take place in late 2018 following antitrust approval by the relevant authorities.
In the initial years — from closing onward — the joint venture partners plan to focus on establishing the joint venture and leveraging synergies. These are anticipated, among other things, from integrating sales, administration, research and development, joint optimization of procurement, logistics, and service centers as well as improved capacity utilization in downstream processing. After the ramp-up phase, the joint venture partners expect annual synergies of 400 million to 600 million euros.
Additionally, the production network is to be reviewed starting in 2020 with the aim of integrating and optimizing the production strategy for the entire joint venture. The scope for optimization depends on numerous external factors such as the outcome of the Brexit negotiations and the implications that follow. Other external parameters include the development of the regulatory environment in areas such as emission trading and international trade policy.
For more information: thyssenkrupp.com
