12/12/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/12/2024 05:01
Filed by John Bean Technologies Corporation
Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Companies:
John Bean Technologies Corporation
(Commission File No. 001-34036)
Marel hf.
The following is a transcript and English translation of an interview given by Brian Deck, Chief Executive Officer of John Bean Technologies Corporation, and Árni Sigurðsson, Chief Executive Officer of Marel hf., broadcasted during a news segment on the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service on December 11, 2024:
Reporter: The company Marel will not become a foreign company even though the U.S. corporation JBT acquires a stake in it, says Marels's CEO. Important operations will remain in Iceland. Shareholders in JBT almost unanimously approved the company's takeover of Marel and now the decision of Marel's shareholders is awaited, which is expected next week. The merger process has been ongoing for about a year. Shareholders and others were invited to a presentation today at Marel with representatives from JBT and Marel. JBT's CEO says there are significant synergies from the merger of the companies.
Brian: The valuation all things considered is about three point five billion euros and together we should have a market capitalization north of six billion dollars on a combined basis so we would be the largest, one of the largest, if not the largest food-technology business globally so it´s quite exciting.
Reporter: If everything goes according to plan, Marel's shareholders will own thirty-eight percent of the merged company. Deck says Marel's facilities are known to be very good, and the employees' knowledge extensive. Therefore, the operations will continue in Iceland.
Brian: Absolutely, yes so this is a wonderful facility, we recognize the legacy, the importance culturally of this facility. This is something we´ve talked about with the Marel shareholders as well as their board of directors, that is certainly something that we feel is important to the combined success of the business - absolutely.
Reporter: Árni Sigurðsson, CEO of Marel, says that the combined company will have over twelve thousand employees and customers in more than 200 countries. It is probably safe to say that Marel has been the nation's darling, similar to what was said about Eimskip in the last century. When asked if the company was becoming foreign. Árni said that it depends on the development of certain factors, but Marel's shareholders, some of whom have been shareholders for a long time, will remain shareholders.
Árni Sigurðsson: And I hope that continues. Then it is clear that we have an important operational base, Icelandic shareholders, so I don't think it can be said that Marel is directly becoming foreign, but this is obviously a change, and the headquarters of the company will be in the United States, that is correct, but we will continue to have important operations here.
IMPORTANT NOTICES
This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. In particular, this communication is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States, Iceland, the Netherlands or Denmark.
NOTE TO U.S. SHAREHOLDERS
It is important that U.S. shareholders understand that the offer and any related offer documents are subject to disclosure and takeover laws and regulations in Iceland and other European jurisdictions, which may be different from those of the United States. The offer will be made in compliance with the U.S. tender offer rules, including Regulation 14E under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and any exemption available to John Bean Technologies Corporation ("JBT") in respect of securities of foreign private issuers provided by Rule 14d-1(d) under the Exchange Act.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
No offer of JBT securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption from registration, and applicable European regulations, including the Icelandic Prospectus Act no. 14/2020 and the Icelandic Takeover Act no. 108/2007 on takeovers. In connection with the offer, JBT filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-279438) (the "Registration Statement") that included a proxy statement/prospectus (the "Proxy Statement/Prospectus"). The Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC on June 25, 2024. Additionally, JBT filed with the Financial Supervisory Authority of the Central Bank of Iceland (the "FSA") an offer document and a prospectus, which have been approved by the FSA and which have been published.
SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS, THE PROSPECTUS, AND THE OFFER DOCUMENT, AS APPLICABLE, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC OR THE FSA CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Shareholders may obtain a free copy of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about JBT, without charge, at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, and on JBT's website at https://ir.jbtc.com/overview/default.aspx. You may obtain a free copy of the prospectus on the FSA's website at www.fme.is and on JBT's website at https://www.jbtc.com/jbt-marel-offer-launch/ as well as a free copy of the offer document.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This communication contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are information of a non-historical nature and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are beyond JBT's ability to control. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to our business and our results of operations, a potential transaction with Marel hf. ("Marel"), our strategic plans, our restructuring plans and expected cost savings from those plans, and our liquidity. The factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, the following factors: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination or abandonment of the offer; the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the proposed transaction with Marel, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals for the offer that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the transaction; the risk that Marel and/or JBT may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the offer in a timely manner or at all; the risk that the offer and its announcement could have an adverse effect on the ability of JBT and Marel to retain customers and retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with their suppliers and customers, and on their operating results and businesses generally; the risk that problems may arise in successfully integrating the businesses of Marel and JBT, which may result in the combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected; the risk that the combined company may be unable to achieve cost-cutting synergies or that it may take longer than expected to achieve those synergies; fluctuations in our financial results; unanticipated delays or accelerations in our sales cycles; deterioration of economic conditions, including impacts from supply chain delays and reduced material or component availability; inflationary pressures, including increases in energy, raw material, freight and labor costs; disruptions in the political, regulatory, economic and social conditions of the countries in which we conduct business; changes to trade regulation, quotas, duties or tariffs; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; changes in food consumption patterns; impacts of pandemic illnesses, food borne illnesses and diseases to various agricultural products; weather conditions and natural disasters; the impact of climate change and environmental protection initiatives; acts of terrorism or war, including the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East; termination or loss of major customer contracts and risks associated with fixed-price contracts, particularly during periods of high inflation; customer sourcing initiatives; competition and innovation in our industries; our ability to develop and introduce new or enhanced products and services and keep pace with technological developments; difficulty in developing, preserving and protecting our intellectual property or defending claims of infringement; catastrophic loss at any of our facilities and business continuity of our information systems; cyber-security risks such as network intrusion or ransomware schemes; loss of key management and other personnel; potential liability arising out of the installation or use of our systems; our ability to comply with U.S. and international laws governing our operations and industries; increases in tax liabilities; work stoppages; fluctuations in interest rates and returns on pension assets; a systemic failure of the banking system in the United States or globally impacting our customers' financial condition and their demand for our goods and services; availability of and access to financial and other resources; the risk factors discussed in our Proxy Statement/Prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement; and other factors described under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in JBT's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and in any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. JBT cautions shareholders and prospective investors that actual results may differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. JBT undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments, subsequent events or changes in circumstances or otherwise.