Progress Rail Services to
Acquire Electro-Motive Diesel, Creating
Global Locomotive
Manufacturing and Rail Services Company
ALBERTVILLE,
Ala.—Progress Rail Services has signed a definitive agreement to purchase
Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) for $820 million in cash from Berkshire Partners LLC
and Greenbriar Equity Group LLC. Upon completion of the transaction,
EMD will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Progress
Rail. Progress Rail is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar
Inc. (NYSE: CAT).
“This acquisition
represents the latest step in our strategic plan to aggressively grow our
presence in the global rail industry,” said Caterpillar Vice Chairman and
CEO-Elect Doug Oberhelman. “Including today’s announcement and our
acquisition of Progress Rail, Caterpillar has invested about $2 billion since
2006 to grow our profitable rail and transit businesses. Rail has proven to be a
highly efficient and sustainable method for moving freight and people, and we
see a positive long-term future for the continued growth of the rail
industry.”
Progress Rail
Services is one of the largest providers of rail and transit products and
services in North America, including: locomotive upgrade and repair, railcar
remanufacturing, trackwork, rail welding, rail repair and replacement, signal
design and installation, maintenance of way equipment, parts reclamation and
recycling.
“The acquisition of
EMD will enable us to provide rail and transit customers an industry-leading
range of locomotive, engine and emissions solutions, as well as unmatched
aftermarket product and parts support and a full line of rail-related services
and solutions,” said Progress Rail CEO Billy Ainsworth.
With 2009 revenues
of $1.8 billion, EMD has the largest installed base of diesel-electric
locomotives in the world and offers the most extensive range of locomotive
products in the rail and transit industry.
“We feel this is an
ideal fit for EMD and our customers and we look forward to developing and
providing an even greater portfolio of products and services for the rail and
transit industry that we have proudly served for more than 85 years,” said John
S. Hamilton, president and CEO of Electro-Motive Diesel.
“We are very proud
to have had the opportunity to partner with EMD’s management in rebuilding this
rail industry icon,” said Regg Jones, managing partner of Greenbriar. “Having
redirected the company’s strategy and restored EMD back to strong operating and
financial footing, we are confident EMD will continue its growth and success
with Progress Rail.”
Richard Lubin,
managing director of Berkshire Partners, added, “Our objectives coming in were
to transition EMD to a strong, independent company focused on its customers,
invest in EMD's technology and capabilities and drive operational improvement.
We are delighted Progress Rail will be the new owner of this
business.”
The acquisition is
expected to close by the end of 2010, pending final regulatory
approvals. EMD will remain headquartered in LaGrange,
Ill. John Hamilton will continue as president and CEO of EMD and will
report to Billy Ainsworth.
About Progress
Rail:
Progress Rail Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Caterpillar Inc., is a leading supplier of remanufactured locomotive and railcar
products and services to the railroad industry, operating one of the most
extensive rail service and supply networks in North America. We serve our
customers through a network of more than 125 locations across the United States,
Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, with more than
4,300 employees. Progress Rail Services is headquartered in Albertville, Ala.
For more information, visit www.progressrail.com.
About
Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.:
Founded in 1922,
Electro-Motive (EMD) is one of two U.S. original equipment manufacturers of
diesel-electric locomotives. Headquartered in LaGrange, Ill., with additional
facilities in London, Ontario, and San Luis Potosi, Mexico. EMD
designs, manufactures and sells diesel-electric locomotives for all commercial
railroad applications and has sold its products in more than 70 countries
worldwide. The company is the only diesel-electric locomotive manufacturer to
have produced more than 70,000 engines and has the largest installed base in
both North America and worldwide. In addition to its manufacturing activities,
EMD has an extensive aftermarket business offering customers replacement parts,
maintenance solutions, and a range of value-added services. The company is also
a global provider of diesel engines for marine propulsion, offshore and
land-based oil well drilling rigs, and stationary power generation. Additional
information can be found at: www.EMDiesels.com.
About
Caterpillar:
For more than 85 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making
progress possible and driving positive and sustainable change on every
continent. With 2009 sales and revenues of $32.396 billion,
Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining
equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas
turbines. The company also is a leading services provider through
Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services,
Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services. More
information is available at: www.cat.com.
About
Berkshire Partners LLC:
Berkshire Partners,
the Boston-based private equity firm, has invested in leading mid-sized
companies for over 25 years through seven investment funds with aggregate
capital of $6.5 billion. Berkshire has developed specific industry experience in
several areas including retailing, consumer products, manufacturing,
transportation, energy, business services and communications. Representative
investments include Amscan/Party City, Bare Escentuals, Carter's, Crown Castle
International, NEW Asurion and TransDigm. Since the mid-1980s, Berkshire has
invested in over 100 companies with approximately $20 billion of acquisition
value and combined revenues of over $22 billion. Berkshire seeks to invest $50
to $500 million of equity capital in each portfolio company. For additional
information, visit www.berkshirepartners.com.
About
Greenbriar Equity Group LLC:
Greenbriar Equity Group LLC, a private equity firm with
$1.5 billion of committed capital, focuses exclusively on the global
transportation industry, including companies in freight and passenger transport,
aerospace and
defense, automotive, logistics, and related
sectors. Greenbriar invests with superior management teams who are
interested in being significant equity owners in their companies as well as with
corporate partners who are interested in raising capital. Greenbriar’s
managing partners bring many decades of experience at the highest levels within
the transportation industry. Additional information may be found at www.greenbriarequity.com.
Forward-Looking
Statements
Certain statements
in this press release relate to future events and expectations and, as such,
constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are
subject to known and unknown factors that may cause actual results of
Caterpillar Inc. to be different from those expressed or implied in the
forward-looking statements. Words such as “believe,” “estimate,” “will be,”
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are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements
regarding our outlook, projections, forecasts or trend descriptions. These
statements do not guarantee future performance, and Caterpillar does not
undertake to update its forward-looking statements.
It
is important to note that actual results of the company may differ materially
from those described or implied in such forward-looking statements based on a
number of factors, including, but not limited to: (i) economic volatility
in the global economy generally and in capital and credit markets;
(ii) Caterpillar’s ability to generate cash from operations, secure
external funding for operations and manage liquidity needs; (iii) adverse
changes in the economic conditions of the industries or markets Caterpillar
serves; (iv) government regulations or policies, including those affecting
interest rates, liquidity, access to capital and government spending on
infrastructure development; (v) commodity price increases and/or limited
availability of raw materials and component products, including steel;
(vi) compliance costs associated with environmental laws and regulations;
(vii) Caterpillar’s and Cat Financial’s ability to maintain their
respective credit ratings, material increases in either company’s cost of
borrowing or an inability of either company to access capital markets;
(viii) financial condition and credit worthiness of Cat Financial’s
customers; (ix) material adverse changes in our customers’ access to
liquidity and capital; (x) market acceptance of Caterpillar’s products and
services; (xi) effects of changes in the competitive environment, which may
include decreased market share, lack of acceptance of price increases, and/or
negative changes to our geographic and product mix of sales;
(xii) Caterpillar’s ability to successfully implement Caterpillar
Production System or other productivity initiatives; (xiii) international
trade and investment policies, such as import quotas, capital controls or
tariffs; (xiv) failure of Caterpillar or Cat Financial to comply with
financial covenants in their respective credit facilities; (xv) adverse
changes in sourcing practices for our dealers or original equipment
manufacturers; (xvi) additional tax expense or exposure;
(xvii) political and economic risks associated with our global operations,
including changes in laws, regulations or government policies, currency
restrictions, restrictions on repatriation of earnings, burdensome tariffs or
quotas, national and international conflict, including terrorist acts and
political and economic instability or civil unrest in the countries in which
Caterpillar operates; (xviii) currency fluctuations, particularly increases
and decreases in the U.S. dollar against other currencies; (xix) increased
payment obligations under our pension plans; (xx) inability to successfully
integrate and realize expected benefits from acquisitions;
(xxi) significant legal proceedings, claims, lawsuits or investigations;
(xxii) imposition of significant costs or restrictions due to the enactment
and implementation of health care reform legislation and proposed financial
regulation legislation; (xxiii) changes in accounting standards or adoption
of new accounting standards; (xxiv) adverse effects of natural
disasters; and (xxv) other factors described in more detail under “Item
1A. Risk Factors” in Part I of our Form 10-K filed with the SEC on
February 19, 2010 for the year ended December 31, 2009 and in Part II of our
Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 3, 2010 for the quarter ended March 31,
2010. These filings are available on our website at
www.cat.com/sec_filings.