The Board of Directors of Cargotec Corporation has decided to investigate and initiate a process to potentially separate its core businesses Kalmar and Hiab into two standalone companies. Cargotec’s intention would be to separate Kalmar as a new listed company by means of a partial demerger from Cargotec. Based on the initial assessment, the Board of Directors of Cargotec has estimated that the separation of Kalmar and Hiab could unlock shareholder value by allowing both businesses to pursue sustainable profitable growth opportunities independently.

The planning of the potential partial demerger is intended to be carried out during 2023 and the potential execution and separate listing of Kalmar on Nasdaq Helsinki would, if carried out, take place in 2024. As announced by Cargotec on 14 November 2022, MacGregor, which is currently one of the three business areas of Cargotec, will not be part of Cargotec’s portfolio in the future. Therefore, in parallel, Cargotec’s focus remains to continue looking for a solution for MacGregor during 2024. If the planned actions are completed, there would be three separate businesses, Kalmar, Hiab and MacGregor.

The planned partial demerger would be a logical next step in Cargotec’s previously announced aim to increase the independence of its businesses. The aim of the planned transaction is to create two focused world-leading listed companies:

• Kalmar, a technology forerunner in container handling and heavy logistics with strong market positions, geared to grow by making the industry electrified and more sustainable
• Hiab, an industry pioneer in on-road load handling with a strong track record of profitable growth and attractive M&A potential.

Unlocking value for shareholders and accelerating growth

Based on the Board of Director’s initial assessment, the planned partial demerger would be expected to improve Kalmar and Hiab’s business performance through higher agility, decisiveness and stronger management focus. In addition, as two standalone businesses, the companies could achieve faster organic and inorganic growth thanks to a more tailored capital allocation strategy and flexible access to external capital.

The Board of Directors believes the planned transaction would increase the attractiveness of the companies and facilitate fair valuation of the businesses. Furthermore, the planned separation would, if implemented, improve the governance and simplify the structures of the separate entities and provide greater transparency and accountability. The Board of Directors will continue assessing possibilities to separate Kalmar and Hiab and will only recommend the planned transaction if upon final assessment there is evidence that enhanced shareholder value can be attained.

“The separation of Kalmar and Hiab would be the logical next step in the growth journey. The Board is convinced that the separation would unlock shareholder value by allowing both businesses to pursue sustainable profitable growth opportunities independently,” says Cargotec’s Chair of Board Jaakko Eskola.

“Kalmar and Hiab serve different customers and have limited cross selling synergies. Both businesses have ambitious growth plans and we are now assessing if those would be better served as separate standalone businesses. Kalmar has recently gone through a major transformation to become a more focused business and has an excellent foundation in place to continue to grow independently. Hiab has a proven track record of profitable growth and M&A,” says Cargotec’s President and CEO Casimir Lindholm.