Thursday, May 8, 2008

ITW outbids Manitowoc for restaurant equipment company

By Rick Romell
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Illinois Tool Works Inc. has topped Manitowoc Co.’s offer for English firm Enodis PLC, agreeing to pay $2.1 billion for the manufacturer of restaurant equipment.

Manitowoc, which makes cranes, ships and ice machines, last month bid $1.89 billion for Enodis.

Enodis recommended accepting the Illinois Tool offer after considering ''transaction certainty, from an antitrust perspective, and the higher price,'' Peter Brooks, the London-based company's chairman, said in a statement.

Manitowoc had pursued Enodis in part to boost the Wisconsin firm's presence in Europe, where it has only a small share of the food-equipment industry. Combined, the two businesses would have about $2 billion in annual revenue - up from $438 million that Manitowoc's food-equipment division had in 2007.

After the announcement by Illinois Tool Works, Manitowoc said it "is considering its position and will make a further announcement in due course."

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1 comment:

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