The business was acquired from Bluewater Thermal Solutions LLC (Bluewater), for a total cash consideration of US$68 million. Bodycote has not acquired any interest in the remaining ten facilities owned by Bluewater in the Great Lakes region of the USA. The consideration of US$68 million has been met from existing cash resources and bank facilities. In the twelve months to September 2012 the business delivered EBITDA of US$11.7 million on sales of US$34.9 million. The acquisition is expected to achieve a return on investment well in excess of Bodycote's cost of capital and be accretive to earnings in the first year of ownership. Commenting on the acquisition, Stephen Harris, CEO of Bodycote said: “The acquisition of this pre-eminent heat treatment business in the South Eastern USA and Southern Indiana represents a considerable step forward in the delivery of Bodycote's strategy in North America. The business is of high quality and has few local competitors. This region of the USA continues to be amongst the highest recipients of inward investment in North America with many domestic and overseas corporations establishing facilities and supply chains in the area. The recent announcements from both Boeing and Airbus concerning their new manufacturing operations in the region underscore this trend. We expect the business to become more focused on aerospace and energy markets over time as the supply chains for these industries expand.” www.bodycote.com
