AKASOL and BorgWarner Have Signed a Business Combination Agreement to Enter into a Strategic Partnership and BorgWarner Will Launch a Voluntary Public Takeover Offer
AKASOL AG as well as BorgWarner Inc., and Blitz F21-842 AG (in future: ABBA BidCo AG), a subsidiary of BorgWarner Inc., a globally leading automotive supplier, have signed a Business Combination Agreement to enter into a strategic partnership.
The strategic partnership gives AKASOL the opportunity to lever BorgWarner’s unique global business platform, thus facilitating its ambitious growth strategy within the e-mobility field and further strengthening its market position for battery systems. Under the strategic partnership, AKASOL will continue to operate independently under the AKASOL brand. The Executive Board led by CEO Sven Schulz and CFO Carsten Bovenschen as well as the other founders continue to run the company. Furthermore, with the Business Combination Agreement, AKASOL and BorgWarner agreed on important cornerstones of the partnership that secure the interests of customers and employees of AKASOL.
Following signing of the Business Combination Agreement, Blitz F21-842 AG (in future: ABBA BidCo AG) today published the decision to make a voluntary public tender offer to the shareholders of AKASOL for the acquisition of all outstanding no-par value bearer shares in AKASOL against payment of a cash consideration of EUR 120.00 per AKASOL share. The offer price represents a premium of 23.4 percent on the volume-weighted three-month average share price prior to the announcement, a premium of 44.2 on the volume-weighted six-month average share price prior to the announcement as well as a significant premium to the median broker target price of EUR 99.00, each as of 12 February 2021 according to Bloomberg. It also represents an EV/sales multiple of approx. 6x based on research analysts‘ consensus of approx. EUR 125m in 2021E sales as well as an EV/sales multiple of approx. 1.8x based on AKASOL‘s 2024E mid-term sales target in excess of EUR 400m.
Sven Schulz (via Schulz Group GmbH) and the other founders of AKASOL, representing 59.4% percent of shares in AKASOL, have signed irrevocable undertakings to tender their shares.
“The Executive Board welcomes the strategic partnership with BorgWarner, as it offers significant strategic perspectives to AKASOL. BorgWarner shares our vision of emission-free mobility and with joint forces we will expand AKASOL’s technology and market leadership for high-performance battery systems. After more than 12 years of successful and independent business development as the main shareholder and CEO of AKASOL, I am convinced that this is the right next step for a very promising future of our company, so together with the other founders I have decided to offer my shares to BorgWarner at the offer price, as a clear signal of confidence in their attractive offer and strategic partnership. At the request of BorgWarner and based on my personal motivation, I will continue to lead AKASOL as CEO together with my colleague Carsten Bovenschen, all founders and the management team. We are all excited to create this new chapter of our company history.”
The offer will be subject to a minimum acceptance threshold of 50 percent plus one share and the fulfilment of further customary conditions, including regulatory clearances.
The Executive Board and the Supervisory Board of AKASOL support the Offer and the strategic partnership. Subject to the careful review of the Offer document and their statutory duties, the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board of AKASOL intend to recommend shareholders of the company to accept the Offer in their reasoned statement.
This article was originally published by AKASOL AG.
