McDermott and CB&I to combine in transaction valued at US$6 Billion

Upon completion of the transaction, McDermott shareholders will own approximately 5%3 of the combined company on a fully diluted basis and CB&I shareholders will own approximately 47%. Under the terms of the business combination agreement ("BCA"), CB&I shareholders will be entitled to receive 2.47221 shares of McDermott common stock for each share of CB&I common stock owned (or 0.82407 shares if McDermott effects a planned three-to-one reverse stock split prior to closing), subject to any withholding taxes. The estimated enterprise value of the transaction is approximately US$6 billion, based on the closing share price of McDermott on December 15, 2017.

"Customers worldwide increasingly seek a single company that can offer end-to-end solutions, and the combination of McDermott and CB&I responds to these evolving customer needs by creating a leading vertically integrated company," said David Dickson, President and Chief Executive Officer of McDermott. "This transaction combines two highly complementary businesses to create a leading onshore-offshore EPCI company driven by technology and innovation, with the scale and diversification to better capitalise on global growth opportunities. McDermott has been on a three-year journey that has transformed our company and created a model for delivering sustainable and profitable growth that we believe will unlock value in the near and long term. By applying McDermott's operational excellence across the combined portfolio, we will be a best-in-class solutions provider driven by consistency in systems, processes, execution and culture. We have great respect for the CB&I team and look forward to working with them to realise significant benefits for our combined shareholders, customers and employees."

"The combination with McDermott maximises value for shareholders and provides the opportunity to participate in significant upside potential as we create a premier vertically integrated engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and installation provider with significant scale, diversification and global presence," said Patrick K. Mullen, CB&I President and Chief Executive Officer. "Together, we will have a broadened reach across the entire energy industry that addresses evolving customer needs, along with a much stronger and more flexible financial profile than CB&I would independently, which will benefit all our stakeholders. This unique opportunity to combine with McDermott was presented as we pursued the sale of our Technology and former Engineered Products businesses. Our Supervisory and Management Boards and our management team reviewed multiple strategic options and we ultimately decided this transaction is the best path forward and in the best interest of CB&I, and its shareholders and other stakeholders."

Highly compelling strategic and financial rationale

Complementary global portfolio and an established presence in high-growth markets. This combination will unite McDermott's established presence in the Middle East and Asia with CB&I's robust operations in the United States, creating a balanced geographic portfolio with a strong position in high growth developing regions. Further, the combination will create significant opportunities to capture additional value from market trends across the entire value chain. Together, McDermott and CB&I will have a presence across onshore and offshore, upstream, downstream and power markets, enhancing competitiveness and enabling more consistent, predictable performance through market cycles.

Greater ability to respond to evolving customer needs. The combined company will offer customers engineered and constructed facility solutions and fabrication services across the full lifecycle, executed to maximise asset value. Customers will also benefit from enhanced exposure across diverse end markets, including refining, petrochemicals, LNG and power.

Enhanced financial profile to support growth. The combined company is expected to have a strong capital structure. On a pro forma combined basis, McDermott and CB&I would have combined revenues of approximately US$10 billion and a backlog of approximately US$14.5 billion. The combined company is expected to generate EBITDA growth and strong free cash flow, enabling it to rapidly de-lever.

Leverages CB&I's strong technology capabilities. By retaining CB&I's Technology business, with its 3000 patents and patent application trademarks and more than 100 licensed technologies, the combined company will be one of the world's largest providers of licensed process technologies. McDermott and CB&I anticipate leveraging these capabilities across their customer base to drive follow-on work.

Cash accretive with opportunities for cost and revenue synergies. The transaction is expected to be cash accretive, excluding one-time costs, within the first year after closing. It is also expected to generate annualised cost synergies of US$250 million in 2019. This is in addition to the US$100 million cost reduction program that CB&I expects to have fully implemented by the end of 2017. The cost synergies are expected to come from operations optimisation, G&A savings, supply chain optimisation and other related cost savings. Further, McDermott and CB&I expect that the transaction will lead to substantial revenue synergies due to the enhanced capabilities of the combined company.

Common attributes focused on safety and customer engagement. McDermott and CB&I's combined experience in delivering customer centric solutions and fixed price lump-sum contracts will form the basis for the combined company to deliver a consistent approach to executing projects for customers. Further, their similar cultures will ensure safety remains the number one priority and will help facilitate a seamless transition for partners and employees worldwide.

Headquarters and governance

Following completion of the transaction, the combined company will be headquartered in the Houston area. David Dickson, current President and Chief Executive Officer of McDermott, will be President and Chief Executive Officer of the combined company, and Stuart Spence, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of McDermott, will be Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the combined company. Patrick Mullen, President and Chief Executive Officer of CB&I, will remain with the combined company for a transition period to ensure a seamless integration. Operational leadership will include representatives from both companies.

The Board of Directors will be comprised of 11 members, including 10 independent directors and David Dickson. Five of the independent directors will come from McDermott and five will come from CB&I. Gary P. Luquette, Non-Executive Chair of the McDermott Board, will serve as the combined company's Non-Executive Chairman.

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/special-reports/27122017/mcdermott-and-cbi-to-combine-in-transaction-valued-at-us6-billion/