Dabur to buy 60% stake in Singapore-based FMCG company Unza for Rs. 675 crores

Dabur is about to acquire over 60% stake in Singapore-based consumer goods company Unza Holdings for Rs. 600-675 crores. Dabur is expected to buy out the holdings of private equity funds Actis and Standard Chartered who hold 30% each in the $150 mn-Singapore company. The deal is touted to be one of the largest overseas acquisition deals in the FMCG space, and make it the third-largest FMCG company in India behind HLL and ITC with manufacturing facilities in China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Unza is a leading personal care manufacturer and marketer in South-east Asia with 48 brands in its portfolio, and is equally owned by the company management and the two private equity funds.

Read more in The Economic Times article.

Aurangabad-based Endurance acquires Italian, German die-casting firms

Aurangabad-based die-casting company Endurance Technologies has acquired two European aluminium die-casting firms, Nuova Renopress in Italy and Amann Druckguss in Germany. The combined deal size of both the acquisitions is €40 mn (Rs. 230 crores). Endurance has also acquired a 40% stake in Italian auto component company Paioli Meccanica for €6 mn (Rs. 34.46 crores), with an option of hiking the stake further at a later stage.

Nuova Renopress has a turnover of €25 mn, has a good technology base and boasts of customers like Honda, Bosch and Siemens. Amann Druckguss has a turnover of around €40 mn and has customers like Daimler-Chrysler, Porsche, MAN, Behr, John Deere and Audi.

Endurance Technologies belongs to the Rs. 1500 crore-Endurance Group. The Endurance Group had recently raised Rs. 150 crores in August 2006 from Standard Chartered Private Equity Fund. The company plans to hit the market in the next 18-24 months. KPMG was the advisor for the acquisitions. The acquisitions have been funded through a mix of internal accruals, proceeds of the private equity sale and debt.

Read the articles in Hindustan Times, The Economic Times and The Financial Express.
Related Post: Endurance Group buys German auto ancillary company

UTI to divest 36.58% stake in SICOM

The Unit Trust of India has invited bids from financial investors to sell its 36.58% stake in State Industrial Corporation of Maharashtra (SICOM), the investment arm of Maharashtra government. UTI holds 40% stake in SICOM – 36.58% through Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SU-UTI) and 3.5% is held by UTI Mutual Fund (UTI AMC).

The bids have been invited for the entire 36.58% stake held by SU-UTI. Foreign investors, including International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank Group and DEG, one of the largest European development finance institutions, have approached investment bankers to take stake in SICOM. Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE), Lehman Brothers, Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and a couple of hedge funds may also be interested in picking up stake in SICOM (See Related Post).

Apart from UTI’s 40%, the Maharashtra government holds 49% stake in the corporation. The remaining stake is held by other financial institutions and employees.

Read the article in The Economic Times.

IFC, DEG planning to acquire a stake in SICOM

The private equity arm of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Germany-based DEG, one of the largest European development finance institutions, are eyeing a stake in the State Industrial Corporation of Maharashtra (SICOM), the investment arm of Maharashtra government. Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE), Lehman Brothers, Temasek and a couple of hedge funds may also be interested in picking up stake in SICOM.

Existing shareholder in SICOM, the Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SU-UTI) is planning to fully divest its 36.5% in SICOM. Both IFC and DEG have approached the investment banker appointed by SU-UTI for the divestment. UTI AMC holds another 3.5% in the corporation.

SICOM offers advisory services to the government of Maharashtra, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission as well as other corporates. It also gives investment facilitation services to MNCs as well as Indian companies who wish to setup their manufacturing units in Maharashtra. The company is launching a second venture fund and would be soon offering merchant banking, treasury management of state PSUs, real estate development through subsidiary or joint ventures.

Read the article in Business Standard.

Endurance Group buys German auto ancillary company

Pune-based auto components company Endurance has acquired Amann Druckguss GmbH and Co KG, a German aluminium die casting manufacturer, in the range of Rs. 180-200 crores.

Amann Druckguss supplies to premium auto-makers such as DaimlerChrysler, Porsche, Audi and Behr. Endurance will supply engine, drive train and chassis components to them. Endurance has acquired Amann Druckguss from private equity firm Granville Baird Capital Partner Advisers.

This is the Pune-based company’s third overseas acquisition in the past one year. It acquired a 51% controlling stake in Nova Renopress of Bologna, which brought in customers like Honda, Bosch and Siemens, and a 40% stake in Paioli Meccanica SpA.

In August 2006, Standard Chartered Private Equity invested Rs. 150 crores in Endurance Technologies. The group is already scouting for another acquisition in the European market by March-end 2007, especially in the Italian, German and French for the acquisition of a Rs. 175-235 crore company.

Read The Economic Times article.