Economy

Japanese Sumitomo Purchases Edgen Group

October 3, 2013

Specialty pipe maker Edgen Group Inc., based in Baton Rouge, has been purchased by Japan-based Sumitomo Corporation for $12 per share. The acquisition is valued at $520 million and is expected to close by the end of the year.

“The investment in Edgen Group will represent further expansion of Sumitomo’s distribution presence across the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas markets, and other related energy and infrastructure segments and will complement Sumitomo’s integrated supply solutions to the growing energy market,” said Kazuhiro Takeuchi, President and CEO, SCOA and SC General Manager for the Americas.

Edgen is comprised of two divisions: Edgen Murray and Bourland& Leverich. Edgen Murry is a global distributor of specialized steel products for offshore drill, transportation and storage of oil and natural gas and refining. Bourland & Leverich is a domestic OCTG distributor supporting conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas exploration.

Including assumption of Edgen’s debt, the value of the Sumitomo purchase comes to $1.2 billion.

Iron Angels of Colorado CEO Peter Brebach commented on the acquisition, “Do the Japanese know something we don’t?” He pointed out the following to SMU, “This being the second sizeable OCTG distribution business acquired by a Japanese trading company in the past 4 weeks, one has to wonder. For the record, Sumitomo, to my knowledge, already owns 3 sizeable pipe, valves and fittings distributors in the US (Texas), so this is not totally new to them. They are also related to the recently merged Sumitomo/Nippon Steel steel mill, which has substantial pipe making capacities, including high-grade OCTG (chrome-bearing), which they will probably now sell through Edgen only.”