On 20 October 2016, Showa Denko, a leading Japanese chemical engineering company entered into an agreement with SGL Carbon SE regarding the acquisition of all shares in SGL GE Holding GmbH, which holds the graphite electrode business of the SGL Carbon group. The acquisition is subject to the approval of the relevant merger control authorities.
The transaction marked the first time that Gleiss Lutz advised Showa Denko, a chemical engineering company with more than ten thousand employees and operating in the chemical, petrochemical, electronics, aluminum, battery materials and inorganics sectors. Established in 1939, it is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
SGL Carbon SE is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products and materials.
SGL GE Holding GmbH and its subsidiaries includes six production sites in Germany, Austria, Spain, USA and Malaysia and have a workforce of approximately 900 employees.
The Gleiss Lutz team headed by Dr. Michael Burian (lead, partner), Dr. Martin Lembke (counsel), Alexandra Brücher (all Stuttgart) and Dr. Michael Ilter (Frankfurt) (all corporate/M&A) included the following lawyers: Christopher Vogl, Dr. Jan Stenger (both Stuttgart), Dr. Jan Balssen (partner), Dr. Tobias Harzenetter (both Munich, all corporate/M&A), Dr. Petra Linsmeier (partner), Julia Molestina (both competition law, Munich), Dr. Alexander Molle (counsel), Hannah Bug, (both IP/IT, Berlin), Dr. Jens Günther (partner), Dr. Matthias Böglmüller (both employment, Munich), Dr. Johann Wagner (partner), Dr. Jens Wrede (both tax, Hamburg), Dr. Philipp Naab (counsel), Dr. Claudia-Maria Wirth (both real estate, Frankfurt), Dr. Andreas Neun (partner), Dr. Katharina Lubitzsch, Dr. Daniel Görlich (all regulatory, Berlin), Patrick Steinhausen, Dr. Jan-Alexander Lange (both finance, Frankfurt).
Gleiss Lutz regularly advises Japanese companies on acquisitions in Germany. Most recently, Gleiss Lutz advised Konica Minolta on the acquisition of listed MOBOTIX AG.
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