Toyota Industries Corporation (“TICO”) and Cascade Corporation announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which TICO will acquire 100 percent of the shares of Cascade for $65 per share in cash in a transaction valued at $759 million pursuant to a tender offer. The purchase price represents a 23 percent premium over Cascade's volume-weighted average share price for the 60 days ending October 19, 2012. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both TICO and Cascade.
The transaction will create a global material handling business with a wider spectrum of products. Based in Japan, TICO is a global material handling, automotive, textile machinery and logistics company and manufactures a full line of lift trucks. Based in Fairview, Oregon, Cascade is an international manufacturer and distributor of material handling attachments and replacement parts for the lift truck and construction industries worldwide. Under the terms of the transaction, Cascade will become a wholly owned subsidiary of TICO.
Robert C. Warren, Jr., President and CEO of Cascade, said, “Our company has concluded that the offer being made by Toyota Industries Corporation … represents an ideal combination of attractive return to our shareholders, continuing service to our customers, and stability and opportunity for our employees.”
Tetsuro Toyoda, TICO President and Representative Director, said, “Cascade Corporation has a strong reputation for providing customers with the latest technology in materials handling attachments for lift trucks and is widely considered to be the innovative leader with high-quality, customizable products. We've long known Cascade as a reliable and world-class supplier to our materials handling business, and we look forward to better meeting our customers' logistical needs by broadening our lift truck business. We remain committed to serving all of Cascade's customers.”
Cascade's President and CEO, Robert C. Warren, Jr., will continue to lead the business after the closing of the transaction, and it will remain based out of Fairview, Oregon.
Under the terms of the agreement, it is anticipated that TICO will commence a tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Cascade at the price of $65 no later than November 5, 2012. The closing of the tender offer is conditioned upon satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including Cascade's shareholders tendering at least a majority of Cascade's outstanding common shares (on a fully diluted basis) and clearance by applicable regulatory authorities. The agreement also provides that the parties will effect, subject to customary conditions, a merger to be completed following the completion of the tender offer, which would result in all shares not tendered being converted into the right to receive the same price as is paid in the tender offer. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition.
The Board of Directors of Cascade has agreed to recommend that Cascade's shareholders tender their shares in the tender offer. In addition, Robert C. Warren, Jr. and Warren Holdings, LLC, a family-managed limited liability company, have entered into agreements with TICO to support the transaction and to tender their shares in the tender offer that cover approximately 14% of Cascade's outstanding shares.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2012.
