Caterpillar Signs Agreement to Acquire Weir Oil & Gas
Caterpillar Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire the Oil & Gas Division of the Weir Group PLC, a Scotland-based global engineering business. Headquartered near Fort Worth, Texas, Weir Oil & Gas produces a full line of pumps, flow iron, consumable parts, wellhead and pressure control products that are serviced via an extensive global network of service centers located near customer operations. Weir has operations in more than 50 countries.
"Combining Weir Oil & Gas's established pressure pumping and pressure control portfolio with Cat's engines and transmissions enables us to create additional value for customers," said Joe Creed, vice president of Caterpillar's Oil & Gas and Marine Division. "This acquisition will expand our offerings to one of the broadest product lines in the well service industry."
The purchase price of $405 million is to be paid in cash at closing. The acquisition requires approval by Weir shareholders and is subject to review by various regulatory authorities as well as customary closing conditions. The transaction includes more than 40 Weir Oil & Gas manufacturing and services locations and approximately 2,000 employees.
"We are pleased to have reached this agreement,” said Jon Stanton, Weir Group CEO. “Caterpillar is a great new home for Weir Oil & Gas, its world-class people, products and services. It will enable Weir Oil & Gas to continue to flourish, ensuring the business remains at the forefront of innovation and customer service in the future."
This acquisition is consistent with Caterpillar's strategy to invest for long-term, profitable growth through operational excellence, expanded offerings and services. Caterpillar is taking advantage of its strong balance sheet to complete this acquisition that supports the enterprise strategy.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as Caterpillar's exclusive financial advisor for the transaction.
Weir is a leading provider of pressure pumping, pressure control and aftermarket services to upstream oil and gas customers in North America and internationally. In February 2020, The Weir Group PLC announced its intention to sell the Oil & Gas division to become a mining technology pure play providing highly engineered solutions from extraction through to concentration and tailings management. Founded in 1871, The Weir Group PLC has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1946. Find out more at www.global.weir.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.