Weir looks to buy Ludowici for £200m

Weir has proposed to buy Australia-listed mining equipment manufacturer Ludowici for A$294m (£200m), stepping on the shoes of Danish peer FLSmidth which made an indicative proposal for the firm last month.

The FTSE 100 engineering solutions provider says it would pay A$7.92 per Ludowici share, representing a 10% premium to FLSmidth's indicative proposal of A$7.20 a share, announced on January 23rd.

Nevertheless, Weir's "indicative proposal is subject to the satisfactory completion of due diligence and may or may not lead to an offer," the group said.

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Brisbane-based Ludowici provides vibrating screens, centrifuges and complementary wear resistant products and services to the mining industry with a focus on coal applications.

"Ludowici is a well known and respected brand in the coal processing sector," said Weir's Chief Executive Keith Cochrane.

"The potential acquisition would extend Weir's offering in minerals processing and expand our exposure to the attractive and fast growing coal sector where Weir is relatively unrepresented. As a part of the global Weir Minerals business, we would look to accelerate the growth of Ludowici, consistent with Weir's 2010 acquisition of Linatex."

Weir's shares fell 1.85% to 1,960p in early trading on Friday.

BC