- 28/11/2016
- Media Releases
Liberty House Group takes step forward to acquire Tata Steel’s Speciality Steels business
International industrials and metals group, Liberty House, has entered into exclusive negotiations with Tata Steel UK to acquire its Speciality Steels business for a total consideration of £100 million.
The business, based largely in South Yorkshire, with service centres in the West Midlands and Lancashire, manufactures a range of high-value speciality steel products for the automotive and aerospace sectors.
The acquisition would secure the jobs of around 1,700 steel-workers at major production facilities in Rotherham and Stocksbridge, a mill in Brinsworth and at service centres in Wednesbury and Bolton, plus thousands more in the UK supply chain. The planned deal, in combination with Liberty’s existing industrial foot print in the UK, would establish the group as one of Britain’s most significant steel and engineering employers.
The Speciality Steels plants specialise in manufacturing carbon, alloy and stainless steels for highly-demanding applications, with all of the output derived from recycled steel, melted in electric arc furnaces. This globally leading business also has distribution facilities in China.
The acquisition would be a significant step in realising Liberty’s GREENSTEEL vision which promotes widespread melting and upcycling of UK domestic scrap metal, using arc furnaces powered from renewable energy sources.
Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of the Liberty House Group said: “We look forward to working with Tata Steel over the coming weeks to complete this hugely important milestone transaction. We recognise the world-class skills of the Speciality Steels workforce and are eager to join with them to develop the business and increase market share, both domestically and internationally using our global presence. As part of that process we will now engage fully with the trade unions and the local community. We are counting on their full support.”
Completion of the acquisition is subject, among other things, to confirmatory due diligence, and obtaining any merger clearances and definitive acquisition documentation. Liberty House and Tata Steel expect the acquisition to complete early in the first quarter of 2017.
Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited is acting as Financial Advisor to Liberty House.
The planned purchase of Tata Steel’s Speciality Steels business is the latest in a succession of key acquisitions and business turnarounds undertaken by Liberty House over the past year. These have included major assets in South Wales, the West Midlands, Scotland and Kent.
Latest News
View AllTees Mayor visit highlights rich energy pipeline potential at LIBERTY Pipes Hartlepool
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has highlighted the rich potential for LIBERTY Steel’s Hartlepool operations to lead the UK energy...
ViewLIBERTY appoints Thomas Gangl as CEO of its European business
LIBERTY Steel Group (“LIBERTY”) has appointed international sustainability leader Thomas Gangl as the Chief Executive Officer of its European business,...
ViewLIBERTY announces UK strategic steel plan after signing new creditor framework agreement
LIBERTY today announces the strategic plan for its UK steel assets after signing a new framework agreement (“the framework”) with its major creditors. The new framework comes after...
ViewLIBERTY Steel selected for major UK carbon capture pipeline contract
LIBERTY Steel today announces that its Hartlepool pipes division has been selected for a major contract to supply pipelines to...
View