Siemens Energy sees ‘need for action’ in $4.3 bln turbine unit takeover plan

Siemens Energy sees ‘need for action’ in $4.3 bln turbine unit takeover plan

MADRID, May 23 (Reuters) – Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) does not yet see signs of a recovery at wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa (SGREN.MC), its chief executive said on Monday after launching a 4.05 billion euro ($4.29 billion) bid for minority holdings in the unit.Siemens Energy announced the bid on Saturday after pressure from shareholders to raise its stake in Siemens Gamesa from the 67% it inherited after a spin off from Siemens (SIEGn.DE). Siemens Gamesa said it would review the offer. read more Siemens Gamesa shares rose more than 6% at the Madrid market open to trade at about 17.7 euros by 0705 GMT, just below the 18.05 euro per share offer price. Siemens Energy shares rose 2.7% in Frankfurt.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterSiemens Gamesa, whose shares had fallen 20% since the start of the year until the offer was made, had issued three profit warnings in less than a year, dogged by product delays and operational problems.”There are not yet clear signs of a near-term recovery in the current setup,” Siemens Energy Chief Executive Christian Bruch said, adding that Siemens Gamesa’s financial performance was “really creating the need for action.”The bid price represented a premium of 27.7% over the Spanish-listed stock’s last unaffected closing price on May 17, and a 7.8% premium to Friday’s closing price.Asked about the onshore turbine business which has caused particular headaches, Bruch told analysts on a conference call: “There is no reason why you cannot be successful in onshore business if you fix your operational issues.”European turbine makers have racked up losses in a fiercely competitive market as metals and logistics prices surged due to COVID-19, import duties and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. read more “I don’t believe that the supply chain environment will get easier,” Bruch said, increasing the need to “push for operational excellence everywhere as fast as possible”.He said pooling suppliers would “leverage the double-digit billion procurement volume we have as a total group as best we can.”Working to produce hydrogen from wind power, a technology seen as a promising way to reduce planet-warming carbon emissions from industry, could also be more effective under the new setup, he said.($1 = 0.9431 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterReporting by Isla Binnie; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Edmund BlairOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. .

Siemens Energy launches $4.3 billion bid for remaining Siemens Gamesa stake

Siemens Energy launches $4.3 billion bid for remaining Siemens Gamesa stake

A model of a wind turbine with the Siemens Gamesa logo is displayed outside the annual general shareholders meeting in Zamudio, Spain, June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent WestRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister

  • Siemens Energy bids 18.05 euros/share for 33% stake
  • Bid comes after operational problems at Siemens Gamesa
  • Deal could yield cost synergies of up to 300 mln eur

FRANKFURT, May 21 (Reuters) – Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) on Saturday launched a 4.05 billion euro ($4.28 billion) bid for the remaining shares in struggling wind turbine unit Siemens Gamesa (SGREN.MC), hoping to remove a complex ownership structure that has weighed on its shares.Siemens Energy said the 18.05 euros per share bid constitutes a premium of 27.7% over the last unaffected closing share price of Spanish-listed Siemens Gamesa of 14.13 euros on May 17. It is a 7.8% premium to Friday’s closing price.Siemens Energy has faced mounting shareholder pressure to seek control of Siemens Gamesa (SGRE), in which it owns 67%, a stake it inherited as part of a spin-off from former parent Siemens (SIEGn.DE).Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterThat stake has given Siemens Energy little influence to deal with product delays and operational problems at Siemens Gamesa. The group has issued three profit warnings in less than a year.”It is critical that the deteriorating situation at SGRE is being stopped as soon as possible, and the value-creating repositioning starts quickly,” said Joe Kaeser, Siemens Energy’s supervisory board chairman.This year, sources told Reuters that Siemens Energy was exploring options to acquire the remaining stake in Siemens Gamesa and a deal could materialise by summer. read more Siemens Energy said it plans to finance up to 2.5 billion euros of the transaction with equity or equity-like instruments, adding a first step could be a capital increase without subscription rights.The remainder would be financed with debt as well as cash on hand, Siemens Energy said, adding it aimed to delist Siemens Gamesa. Spanish stock market regulations allow that once ownership of 75% is reached.Full integration of Siemens Gamesa will simplify Siemens Energy’s structure and provide a more coherent business model that caters to legacy energy assets like coal, transition technologies such as gas, and renewable power sources.”This transaction comes at a time of major changes affecting global energy,” Siemens Energy Chief Executive Christian Bruch said. “Our conviction is that the current geopolitical developments will not lead to a setback to the energy transition.”Siemens Energy said the deal would lead to cost synergies of up to 300 million euros annually within three years of the full integration, mainly due to more favourable supply chain management, combined administration and joint R&D.The deal should close in the second half and is expected to achieve revenue synergies of a mid triple-digit million amount by 2030, the group said.($1 = 0.9470 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterReporting by Christoph Steitz and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Nick Zieminski, Daniel Wallis and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. .

Audi Formula One deal with McLaren becoming unlikely -source

Audi Formula One deal with McLaren becoming unlikely -source

An Audi logo is pictured during the Volkswagen Group’s annual general meeting in Berlin, Germany, May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Axel SchmidtRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterHAMBURG, May 5 (Reuters) – An agreement for Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) premium brand Audi to join Formula One by investing in British luxury sports carmaker McLaren is becoming increasingly unlikely, a person familiar with the project told Reuters on Thursday.”The price expectations are too far apart,” the person said, adding that while the project had not yet failed, its prospects are now close to zero.Meanwhile, talks with Swiss-based Sauber, which runs the Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo team, and Williams are continuing, the person said. Both Audi and Volkswagen declined to comment.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterManager Magazin reported earlier on Thursday that talks with McLaren were close to failing after months of negotiations.Volkswagen has not previously been involved in Formula One but has worked with Red Bull, notably in the world rally championship.On Monday, VW Chief Executive Herbert Diess said that its Audi and Porsche brands would join Formula One, after convincing the German automaking group that the move would bring in more money than it would cost. read more A source had told Reuters in March that Audi was ready to offer around 500 million euros ($556.3 million) for McLaren as a means to enter.Williams and Aston Martin, both currently powered by Mercedes engines, have said they would be interested in future ties with Audi.”I think for any team who has not a manufacturer on his side, it’s super appealing to have this possibility,” Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack told reporters at last month’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.Williams team principal Jost Capito is a previous head of Volkswagen Motorsport.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterReporting by Jan Schwartz/Alan Baldwin in London; Writing by Maria Sheahan, editing by Kirsti Knolle and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. .

VW to scrap models and focus on premium market -CFO tells FT

VW to scrap models and focus on premium market -CFO tells FT

A new logo of German carmaker Volkswagen is unveiled at the VW headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Fabian BimmerRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterBERLIN, April 6 (Reuters) – German carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) will axe many combustion engine models by the end of the decade and sell fewer cars overall to concentrate on producing more profitable premium vehicles, its finance chief was quoted as saying on Wednesday.”The key target is not growth,” Arno Antlitz told the Financial Times newspaper. “We are (more focused) on quality and on margins, rather than on volume and market share.”Antlitz said VW would reduce its range of petrol and diesel cars, consisting of at least 100 models spread across several brands, by 60% in Europe over the next eight years.The paper said VW’s new strategy was a sign of profound changes in the auto sector, which has attempted for decades to increase profits by selling more cars each year, even if that required heavy discounting.Former VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn, who resigned in the wake of a diesel emissions scandal, had made it his goal to beat Toyota and General Motors to the title of “volume number one” by 2018.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterReporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. .

BMW triples pre-tax earnings with high prices, top-end vehicle sales

BMW triples pre-tax earnings with high prices, top-end vehicle sales

The headquarters of German luxury carmaker BMW is seen in Munich, Germany, August 5, 2020. REUTERS/Michael DalderRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterBERLIN, March 10 (Reuters) – BMW more than tripled its pre-tax earnings to 16 billion euros ($17.67 billion) in 2021, the company said on Thursday, as higher pricing and strong sales of top-end vehicles boosted revenues even as supply chain troubles limited production.Group revenues climbed 12.4% from last year to 111 billion euros, the company said, with net profit reaching a record high of 12.46 billion.The premium carmaker will propose a dividend of 5.8 euros per share, up from last year’s 1.9 euros, it said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterBMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce deliveries fell in the fourth quarter by 14.2% due to semiconductor bottlenecks, with rising raw material prices also weighing on earnings.Quarterly net profit for the group came in at 2.25 billion euros, a third higher than last year but slightly below third quarter’s profits of 2.58 billion.BMW saw higher unit sales than any other premium carmaker in 2021, delivering 2.5 million cars even as semiconductor shortages restricted output, a victory which has been attributed to its strong relations with suppliers.”We are in a good position and optimistic about the future,” Chief Financial Executive Nicolas Peter said.($1 = 0.9053 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterReporting by Victoria Waldersee, Tristan Chabba
Editing by Madeline Chambers
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