EU competition law

CPS Color

Backer: Nordic Capital

Business description: Tinting systems

Deal value: Undisclosed

Notified: 08/05/08

Provisional deadline: 16/06/08

Nordic Capital Fund VI has signed an agreement with Industri Kapital regarding the acquisition of CPS Color Group, supplier of advanced tinting systems. Based in Vantaa, Finland and with approximately 900 employees, CPS Color is the world’s leading supplier of tinting systems and technology, enjoying a unique position as the only company in the world supplying all of the necessary tinting system components: colorants, dispensers, mixers, software, marketing materials, technical support and consulting services. CPS Color’s net sales in 2007 amounted to €187m.

Expro

Backer: Umbrellastream

Business description: Oil services

Deal value: £1.605bn

Notified: 15/05/08

Provisional deadline: 19/06/08

Umbrellastream – a consortium of Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Candover and AlpInvest Partners – is to acquire Expro, a UK based oil services business, for a £1.605bn.

Expro had sales of £519m in 2007, with EBITDA of £115m. The business provides well flow management services and products, employs more than 4,000 staff and operates in over 50 countries.

Neochimiki

Backer: The Carlyle Group

Business description: Chemicals distribution

Deal value: €749m

Notified: 13/05/08

Provisional deadline: 17/06/08

The Carlyle Group has acquired 73.54% of the shares of Neochimiki L.V. Lavrentiadis S.A. Industrial and Commercial Company for €19 per share in several block trades over the Athens Stock Exchange and will subsequently launch a mandatory tender offer for the remaining outstanding shares and will take all other measures available under applicable Greek laws to acquire all the shares of Neochimiki at the same price. The transaction implies an enterprise value of €749 million.

Neochimiki is an independent chemicals company headquartered in Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece, focused both on the distribution of chemical raw materials sourced from a wide network of large multinational chemicals suppliers and the production and distribution of fertilizers and raw materials for the coatings industry. Through its strong infrastructure network, Neochimiki serves more than 8,000 customers in a large variety of sectors such as the home, personal care, food, coatings, base oils and rubbers, construction, agriculture and automotive industries.

TietoEnator

Backer: Nordic Capital

Business description: IT

Deal value: €1.1bn

Notified: 28/03/08

Cleared: 06/05/08

Nordic Capital’s portfolio company Cidron Services has been cleared by the European Commission to buy Finnish IT services company TietoEnator Corporation for €1.1bn. Cidron, which already holds a 4.4% stake in the target, said the offer is subject to a 90% shareholder acceptance rate. The TietoEnator Corporation board is currently evaluating the offer.

The company holds a leading position as a full-scale IT services provider in its home market in the Nordic countries and the Baltic Rim. In the international market, TietoEnator focuses on selected competence areas, aiming to bolster its leadership as the partner for telecom R&D services and its good market position in the forest and oil & gas industries.