Element Materials Technology: refinancing deal

Element Materials Technology has secured a new US$ 325 million funding package to refinance existing group borrowings and provide additional facilities in support of future acquisitions. The refinancing has been secured with the support of new and existing lenders replacing the previous syndicate of banks. The new facility delivers improved terms and demonstrates the significant appetite of the US loan market to support Element’s acquisitive sector-focused consolidation strategy.

Charles Noall, President and CEO of Element, says: “We are delighted to close this hugely over-subscribed refinancing process. It is a major vote of confidence in the company and our strategy to invest alongside clients to provide them with the requisite technical capabilities to deliver exceptional results.”

In under four years, Element has made seven strategically important acquisitions which combined with strong underlying organic growth has resulted in the Group being 2.5 times larger than it was when 3i completed the buyout of Element in December 2010. Element has built a market leadership position for materials testing in the US and globally for Aerospace testing.

Concluding, Element’s Chief Financial Officer, Jo Wetz, adds: “We believe that there is a compelling case for further consolidation in the materials testing space. The refinancing provides us with the flexibility and capacity to make further acquisitions when they align with our overall strategic goals.

“The success of the refinancing was delivered with the same strong support from 3i that the business has enjoyed over the last three years and some excellent execution from our lead banking relationships.”

Element recently acquired Accutek Testing Laboratory, in Cincinnati, OH, a specialist materials testing business with extensive experience serving both the Aerospace and Medical Device sectors. When the acquisition completed in July, Accutek became the company’s 43rd laboratory worldwide and increased its headcount to 1540.

In the same month, Element also opened a new flagship Oil and Gas Materials Technology Centre on a five acre campus right in the heart of the Houston energy corridor. This first-of-its-kind facility offers clients fracture mechanics and engineering critical assessment, NDT and corrosion testing services, across a broad range of both metals and alloys, as well as thermoplastics, composites and elastomers. Representing the company’s largest ever single site investment in capabilities, the laboratory known as Element Houston, represents a total investment in excess of US$ 5 million.

Edited from source by Elizabeth Corner

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/12082014/element-materials-technology-refinancing-deal/