Fiat Industrial and Case Parent CNH to Merge

New company managing the Case, New Holland, Kobelco and Fiat Industrial brands said to be 'the world’s third largest capital goods provider'

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Fiat Industrial and CNH Global, parent of Case, New Holland and Kobelco construction equipment brands, have entered a definitive merger agreement to combine their businesses into what Fiat Chairman Sergio Marchionne calls "the world’s third largest capital goods provider." 

"Completion of this merger will bring to a conclusion a lengthy process of simplifying and rationalizing the group’s equity capital structure and allow shareholders in both companies the opportunity to participate in the growth prospects of the world’s third largest capital goods provider, which will be a true peer in scale and capital markets appeal to the other major global capital goods companies," said Marchionne. "This appeal will be further enhanced through the loyalty share structure intended to reward long-term stable shareholders that share our goal of enhancing shareholder value over the long term, as well as through enhanced flexibility to pursue strategic opportunities."

Terms of the definitive merger agreement are consistent with Fiat Industrial’s final offer announced November 19.

Fiat Industrial, which already owns 88 percent of CNH, and CNH will each merge into a newly formed operating company organized under the laws of the Netherlands (NewCo).  Fiat Industrial shareholders will receive one NewCo share for each Fiat Industrial share and CNH shareholders will receive 3.828 NewCo shares for each CNH share in the merger.

CNH will pay a cash dividend of $10 per CNH share to the CNH minority shareholders prior to completion of the merger. CNH will use its reasonable best efforts for the dividend to be paid prior to December 31, 2012 or as promptly thereafter as practicable. The cash dividend, when added to the 3.828 NewCo common shares for each CNH share, represented a 25.6% premium over the implied value of Fiat Industrial’s initial offer as of November 16, 2012, the trading day prior to the date Fiat Industrial’s final offer was announced.

NewCo shares will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. NewCo will also use its reasonable best efforts to cause the NewCo shares to be admitted to listing on the Mercato Telematico Azionario managed by Borsa Italiana shortly following the closing of the mergers.

NewCo will implement a loyalty voting structure; shareholders of each company that are present or represented by proxy at the respective shareholders’ meetings to consider the merger transaction and that continue to hold their shares until completion of the merger may elect to receive common shares registered in a special segment of NewCo’s share register and be entitled to two votes per share. NewCo shareholders will be entitled to retain double-vote shares indefinitely. If a NewCo shareholder transfers shares entitled to double votes, the shares will revert to the regular segment of the register and will be entitled to a single vote per share.

Following completion of the merger, new shareholders may earn a double vote through a loyalty mechanism by holding the shares continuously for at least three years.

The merger agreement contains customary representations and warranties and the merger is subject to customary closing conditions, including a condition capping the exercise of withdrawal rights by Fiat Industrial shareholders and opposition rights by Fiat Industrial creditors, at €325 million in the aggregate.  The merger is also subject to approval by the shareholders of each of Fiat Industrial and CNH.

Fiat Industrial, as 88% shareholder of CNH, has agreed to vote its CNH shares in favor of the merger at the CNH shareholders’ meeting. 

The merger is expected to close during the second quarter of 2013.

Fiat Industrial S.p.A. (FI.MI) is a global capital goods provider that, through its various businesses, designs, produces and sells agricultural and construction equipment (CNH Global N.V.), trucks, commercial vehicles, buses and special vehicles (Iveco S.p.A.), in addition to engines and transmissions for those vehicles and for marine applications (FPT Industrial S.p.A.). Present in all major markets worldwide, Fiat Industrial is focused on expanding its presence in high growth markets, including through new joint ventures.

CNH Global N.V. is a global agricultural and construction equipment business. Supported by approximately 11,300 dealers in around 170 countries, CNH brings together the knowledge and heritage of its Case and New Holland brand families with the strength and resources of its worldwide commercial, industrial, product support and finance organizations. CNH Global N.V., whose stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CNH), is a majority-owned subsidiary of Fiat Industrial. 

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