Experience
Halma Acquisitions
Growing a business is challenging, even with the opportunities offered by today’s global marketplace. Expanding your product and service offerings to your customers requires a strategic vision and focused plan, as well as the resources to pull it all together.
Halma, p.l.c., is an international group of technology companies with its headquarters outside of London, England. Halma has worked with Dinsmore for nearly 25 years. In that time, Dinsmore has represented Halma through a multitude of acquisitions, both domestically and abroad, as Halma has grown to become a global leader in health and safety technology.
When the opportunity recently arose to acquire two companies to boost Halma’s Health and Analysis sector, the company again turned to Dinsmore for counsel. The acquisitions of California-based Sensorex, Inc. and Pennsylvania-based Accutome, Inc., offered myriad challenges. As the deals progressed, it appeared Halma would be able to announce the closings of both transactions to the Stock Exchange on the same day.
Our team worked to structure the asset purchase of Sensorex for $37.5 million and the stock purchase of Accutome for an initial payment of $20 million, handling everything from negotiating and drafting the documents to managing the legal due diligence for both transactions. We assisted Halma with the intellectual property, benefits and employment components of each deal and assisted with all details of closing.
On the Accutome deal, we were faced with the unique task of sequentially structuring the deal to comply with tax law related to the acquisition of Accutome’s Dutch subsidiary. Because of the tax implications of acquiring a subsidiary through one Halma affiliate, while acquiring the parent company through another affiliate, we were asked to ensure that the transaction involving the subsidiary was closed before the U.S. transaction was completed. This required that we coordinate compliance with Dutch requirements in real time, in order to complete the transaction prior to opening of the European markets.
Accutome is primarily known for designing diagnostic equipment used to identify eye conditions and for innovative surgical instruments. Sensorex, a manufacturer of electrochemical water sensors, will enable Halma to enhance its water analysis and water quality programs. Assisted by Dinsmore’s counsel, Halma continues to grow and expand its product offerings to clients and position itself as an industry leader.
Strategic Acquisition of a Pump Manufacturer with Operations in China and the U.S.
A global marketplace has increased opportunities for businesses to expand their offerings, and taking advantage of these opportunities can be the deciding factor in a company’s long-term success. Halma p.l.c (Halma), one of the world leaders in health and safety technologies, has consistently sought strategic acquisitions to strengthen their business, and they turned to Dinsmore to counsel them through their latest transaction. We represented Halma through the share purchase of Thinketron Precision Equipment Company Limited, which included its subsidiaries, the China-based Baoding Longer Precision Pump and the U.S.-based Langer Instruments Corporation. The company manufactures and markets peristaltic, syringe and gear pumps used in laboratory, medical and industrial settings. We served as primary deal counsel throughout the transaction, performing due diligence, drafting all related documentation and handling the closing. The transaction, which was valued at approximately $34 million, was heavily negotiated and featured challenges in complying with the myriad of Chinese regulations regarding share transfers and corporate governance. Additionally, we also managed a large team of local counsel, ensuring Halma’s objectives were met at each step of the process. Upon completion, the transaction was Halma’s first major acquisition in China, and significantly strengthened their offerings in health and safety technology.
Represented Life Company Lender on Nearly 100 Loan Closings
We represented a national life insurance company on all aspects of loan documentation, negotiation, and closing for nearly 100 loans in 2016 and 2017. The loans ranged from less than $1 million to more than $20 million and were secured by a wide range of commercial real property, including retail centers, warehouses, apartment complexes, and hotels. Dinsmore worked closely with the client, borrower’s counsel, title companies, surveyors, and other third-party providers to resolve loan documentation, real estate, tenant, and borrower organizational structure issues and all other issues necessary to close various loans in a cost-effective and collaborative manner.
Loan by a National Life Insurance Company
$50 Million Loan by National Life Insurance Company
Acquisition of Two Affiliated Swiss Companies
Acquisition
Acquisition of Medical Group
Our team was instrumental in assisting Halma through this challenging $46 million acquisition. The involvement of England-based shareholders selling SunTech enabled us to work on a parallel track alongside Halma’s London counsel. While London counsel negotiated key provisions of the share purchase agreement, we handled all of the due diligence for SunTech’s U.S.-based operating company and its two Chinese subsidiaries. We drafted the key transactional agreements and relevant corporate documents for the three operating companies. We continuously obtained and reviewed updated disclosure documents and responded to new information and client inquiries. Our team negotiated and drafted documents which met Halma’s needs and which reflected the different corporate cultures and approaches of the operating companies and shareholders. Constant communication with local counsel and business officials in London, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, coupled with a thorough understanding of Halma’s procedures, ensured we achieved Halma’s goals.
The successful closing of this transaction enabled Halma to strengthen its Health and Analysis Sector, which already includes Riester, a medical equipment company that supplies blood pressure and vital signs monitors. With Dinsmore’s assistance, Halma continues to take advantage of opportunities to remain an industry leader in health and safety technology.
Acquisition of Ophthalmic Surgical Product Company
Our team was instrumental in structuring this stock purchase for $57 million in initial consideration with additional payments of up to $43 million, contingent upon future earnings. Because of the size of the transaction, we worked to get Federal Trade Commission approval through filing pre-merger notification in accordance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. During the statutory waiting period, our team of attorneys negotiated and drafted the key transactional agreements and relevant corporate documents while managing comprehensive legal due diligence. Our due diligence efforts, which included extensive intellectual property, benefits, and employment reviews, provided a high level of security over the sellers’ warranties. Our collaborative approach toward negotiating the transactional agreements protected Halma’s interests while helping to maintain goodwill between Halma and the sellers, many of whom will continue to operate the business in Redmond, Washington. Our thorough understanding of Halma’s procedures and goals ensured we achieved the best outcome for our client.
The successful closing of this transaction enabled Halma to further strengthen its Health and Analysis Sector, which includes other market-leading ophthalmic device businesses: Accutome, Keeler, Medicel, Reister and Volk. With Dinsmore’s assistance, Halma continues to take advantage of opportunities to remain an industry leader in health and safety technology