Triumph Group, Inc. (NYSE: TGI)
today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase Vought
Aircraft Industries, Inc. from The Carlyle Group for cash and stock
consideration of $1.44 billion including the retirement of Vought debt,
creating a company with industry-leading breadth of product and
capabilities. The purchase consideration to Vought shareholders includes
approximately 7.5 million shares and $525 million of cash. Post-closing,
Carlyle will own approximately 31% of the outstanding stock of Triumph
and will be subject to certain lock up provisions. The transaction is
subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals
and approval of Triumph shareholders and is expected to be completed in
July, 2010. The acquired business will operate as Triumph Aerostructures
-Vought Aircraft Division, LLC. On a full-year run-rate basis, earnings
accretion is expected to be in excess of $1.00 per diluted share,
reflecting initial estimates of purchase accounting adjustments and
excluding synergies resulting from the acquisition and
transaction-related expenses.
Pro forma for the acquisition, Triumph will have approximately $3.1
billion of revenue and Pro forma Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $446
million, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2009. Pro forma total
debt to Pro forma Adjusted EBITDA as of the twelve months ended December
31, 2009, will be approximately 3.2x. Triumph expects to fund the
transaction with a combination of current and new credit facilities and
has obtained certain financing commitments that are subject to customary
conditions.
Vought, based in Dallas, Texas, is a leading global manufacturer of
aerostructures for commercial, military and business jet aircraft with
sales of $1.9 billion in 2009. Products include fuselages, wings,
empennages, nacelles and helicopter cabins. Vought’s customer base is
comprised of the leading global aerospace original equipment
manufacturers and over 80% of their revenue is from sole source,
long-term contracts. Major platforms include the Boeing 747-8, Boeing
767, Boeing 777, Airbus A330/340, Boeing C-17, Boeing V-22, Northrop
Grumman Global Hawk and Gulfstream G450 and G550.
Richard C. Ill, Triumph’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said,
"This is an important acquisition for Triumph as it will dramatically
advance our technical capabilities and significantly enhance our ability
to offer aerostructure systems solutions to our customers. The
integration of Vought with Triumph will create a leading Tier One
Capable supplier with strong positions in commercial and military
platforms. The combination of Vought with Triumph will enhance Triumph’s
products and system offerings to the benefit of our customers,
suppliers, employees and investors.”
Elmer L. Doty, Vought’s President and Chief Executive Officer, added,
"This combination with Triumph is an exciting development for the
employees of Vought. The resulting publicly-traded company will possess
the scale and resources to confidently address the opportunities and
challenges of today’s aerospace market.”
Triumph Group, Inc., headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, designs,
engineers, manufactures, repairs and overhauls aircraft components and
accessories. The company serves a broad, worldwide spectrum of the
aviation industry, including original equipment manufacturers of
commercial, regional, business and military aircraft and aircraft
components, as well as commercial and regional airlines and air cargo
carriers.
RBC Capital Markets acted as exclusive financial advisor, provided a
fairness opinion to the Board of Directors of Triumph and also provided
committed acquisition debt facilities for the transaction. Wachtell,
Lipton, Rosen & Katz provided legal advice to Triumph.
Triumph will hold a conference call today, Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 10
a.m. (ET) to discuss the acquisition of Vought. To participate in the
call, please dial (866) 882-0470 (Domestic) or (703) 639-1476
(International). A slide presentation will be included with the audio
portion of the webcast. An audio replay will be available from March 23rd
until March 30th by calling (888) 266-2081 (Domestic) or
(703) 925-2533 (International), passcode #1444278.
More information about Triumph can be found on the company’s website at http://www.triumphgroup.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1955. These
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties, and other factors which may cause Triumph’s actual
results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from
any expected future results, performance, or achievements. Such
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements
about the benefits of the business combination transaction involving
Triumph and Vought, including future financial and operating results,
the new company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and
other statements that are not historical facts. The following factors,
among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth
in the forward-looking statements: the risk that the cost savings and
any other synergies from the transaction may not be fully realized or
may take longer to realize than expected; disruption from the
transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with
customers, employees or suppliers; competition and its effect on
pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues. For more
information, see the risk factors described in Triumph’s current Form
10-K and other SEC filings.
Additional Information
In connection with the proposed merger, Triumph will file a proxy
statement with the SEC. Triumph will mail the definitive proxy
statement, when available, to its shareholders. Investors and security
holders are urged to read the proxy statement regarding the proposed
merger when it becomes available because it will contain important
information. You may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement (when
available) and other related documents filed by Triumph with the SEC at
the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.
The definitive proxy statement (when available) and the other documents
may also be obtained for free by accessing Triumph’s website at http://www.triumphgroup.com
under the heading "Investor Relations" and then under the heading
"Financial Information" and then under the heading "SEC Filings."
Participants in the Solicitation
Triumph and its directors, executive officers and certain other members
of management and employees may be soliciting proxies from shareholders
in favor of certain matters relating to proposed merger. Information
regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered
participants in the solicitation of the shareholders in connection with
such matters is filed with the SEC. Information about the directors and
executive officers of Triumph is set forth in Triumph’s definitive proxy
statement filed with the SEC on June 23, 2009. Additional information
regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation will be set forth
in the proxy statement when it is filed with the SEC. You may obtain a
free copy of the definitive proxy statement (when available) and other
related documents filed by Triumph with the SEC using the contact
information described above.
