Complementary Product Portfolio to Expand Technical Capability and Offerings
TROY, Mich., May 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Meritor, Inc. (NYSE: MTOR) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Siemens to acquire its Commercial Vehicles business for approximately €190 million in cash, adjusted for changes in working capital at closing. The transaction is expected to close by calendar year-end, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
“The Siemens Commercial Vehicles business offers capabilities and technology that will enhance our ability to offer superior electric solutions to the global commercial vehicle market,” said Chris Villavarayan, Meritor’s CEO and president. “As the urgency grows for zero carbon solutions, this highly talented and skilled team, and leading electric product portfolio, strengthens Meritor’s business as we move toward the anticipated acquisition by Cummins.”
“Commercial Vehicles is another success story for value creation through our portfolio companies concept. We have turned it into a profitable business and now found the ideal new strategic owner,” said Ralf P. Thomas, CFO of Siemens AG.
With approximately 200 employees across Germany, China and the United States, the Siemens Commercial Vehicles business develops, designs and produces high-performance electric drive systems. Product offerings include direct drive and transmission-based remote mount electric motors, inverters, software and related services which Meritor expects to be critical elements in the next generation of electric powertrains. These capabilities will enable Meritor to offer global customers a wider array of electrified product solutions across the commercial vehicle, transit, off-highway and specialty markets.
Cummins Transaction
In accordance with the terms of the previously announced Merger Agreement under which Cummins agreed to acquire Meritor, Cummins consented to and is supportive of Meritor entering into the agreement and completing its acquisition of the Siemens Commercial Vehicles business.
About Meritor
Meritor, Inc. is a leading global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking, aftermarket and electric powertrain solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets. With more than a 110-year legacy of providing innovative products that offer superior performance, efficiency and reliability, the company serves commercial truck, trailer, off-highway, defense, specialty and aftermarket customers around the world. Meritor is based in Troy, Mich., United States, and is made up of more than 9,600 diverse employees who apply their knowledge and skills in manufacturing facilities, engineering centers, joint ventures, distribution centers and global offices in 19 countries. Meritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol MTOR. For important information, visit the company’s website at www.meritor.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This release contains statements relating to future results of the company (including certain outlooks, projections and business trends) that are “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “are likely to be,” “will” and similar expressions. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement pursuant to which the company would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Cummins Inc. (the “Merger”); the failure to obtain approval for the Merger from the company’s shareholders, the failure to obtain certain required regulatory approvals or the failure to satisfy any of the other closing conditions to the completion of the Merger within the expected timeframes or at all; risks related to disruption of management’s attention from ongoing business operations due to the Merger; the effect of the announcement of the Merger on the ability to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with customers, suppliers and others with whom the company does business, or on operating results and business generally; the ability to meet expectations regarding the timing and completion of the Merger; the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on public health, the global economy and financial markets, as well as our industry, customers, operations, workforce, supply chains, distribution systems and demand for our products; the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine; reliance on major OEM customers and possible negative outcomes from contract negotiations with our major customers, including failure to negotiate acceptable terms in contract renewal negotiations and our ability to obtain new customers; the outcome of actual and potential product liability, warranty and recall claims; our ability to successfully manage rapidly changing volumes in the commercial truck markets and work with our customers to manage demand expectations in view of rapid changes in production levels; global economic and market cycles and conditions; availability and sharply rising costs of raw materials, including steel, transportation and labor, and our ability to manage or recover such costs; technological changes in our industry as a result of the trends toward electrified drivetrains and the integration of advanced electronics and their impact on the demand for our products and services; our ability to manage possible adverse effects on European markets or our European operations, or financing arrangements related thereto in the event one or more countries exit the European monetary union; risks inherent in operating abroad (including foreign currency exchange rates, restrictive government actions regarding trade, implications of foreign regulations relating to pensions and potential disruption of production and supply due to terrorist attacks or acts of aggression); risks related to our joint ventures; the ability to achieve the expected benefits of strategic initiatives and restructuring actions; our ability to successfully consummate the acquisition of the Siemens Commercial Vehicles Bus & Truck business; our ability to successfully integrate the products and technologies of the Siemens Commercial Vehicles Bus & Truck business and future results of such acquisition, including its generation of revenue and its being accretive; the demand for commercial and specialty vehicles for which we supply products; whether our liquidity will be affected by declining vehicle production in the future; OEM program delays; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development and launch of new products; labor relations of our company, our suppliers and customers, including potential disruptions in supply of parts to our facilities or demand for our products due to work stoppages; the financial condition of our suppliers and customers, including potential bankruptcies; possible adverse effects of any future suspension of normal trade credit terms by our suppliers; potential impairment of long-lived assets, including goodwill; potential adjustment of the value of deferred tax assets; competitive product and pricing pressures; the amount of our debt; our ability to continue to comply with covenants in our financing agreements; our ability to access capital markets; credit ratings of our debt; the outcome of existing and any future legal proceedings, including any proceedings or related liabilities with respect to environmental, asbestos-related, or other matters; rising costs of pension benefits; possible changes in accounting rules; and other substantial costs, risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2021, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 3, 2022 and from time to time in other filings of the company with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.
SOURCE Meritor, Inc.
