#8 Main goals of a Due Diligence
if the TC business can be a value for the Buyer and can be integrated in the Buyer’s operations;
if acquisition of TC can generate cost savings opportunities;
To discover what are the possible hidden liabilities and/or losses that the TC could suffer after the acquisition;
To avoid any other risks that Purchaser can have in purchasing TC
#9 Tips for legal due diligence
Set your goals;Make sure you have a clear idea of your objectives.
Appoint local experts; Use local experts and use them wisely – They know local laws and customs and can give you some tips
Agree a clear due diligence scope;draft a detailed questionnaire with each professional adviser at the outset
Prepare an after Closing integration plan (put also in the title After closing integration plan) Be ready in advance with a clear plan on how to manage the TC – Put in place supervision on local managers
#11 Case Studies 1
TCL $ 560 Million acquisition of Thomson 中国TCL集团以5.6亿美元收购法国汤姆逊电器公司
TCL refused to hire M&A experts and did not conduct any DD. After acquisition, TCL:
- realized that Thomson products were old and tired and that Thomson had suffered a $ 100 Million losses the previous year
- did not have to assimilate Thomson’s people and did not have Chinese managers with adequate international experience.
In the 2 years after acquisition Thomson accumulated $ 680 Million of losses and the third year TCL closed its European operations
#12 Case Studies 2 - CITIC Pacific investment in Australian iron ore mines中信泰富投资澳大利亚铁矿山
In 2007, CITIC Pacific, a subsidiary of the CITIC Group, purchased for 4.2 Billion AUSD the extraction rights in a mining area in Australia. CITIC did not carry an extensive DD and several factors resulted in a substantial increase of costs after and necessary investments after the acquisition. CITIC did not take into account:
- labor issues caused by cultural differences between Chinese and local workers
- high labor costs that CITIC could not bypass by using Chinese workforce, due to visa restrictions on the use of foreign workers
- Costs deriving from Australian government’s environmental protection
- Australian government increased mining taxes by 40%
#13 Case Studies 3 Qianjiang Motors acquires Benelli Motorcycles钱江汽车收购贝内利摩托车
Qianjiang Motors acquired Benelli Motorcycles, a small, family-owned Italian manufacturer of motorcycles from bankruptcy. Only the sales director, the part quality manager, and the managing director were transferred from China to Italy. Several post-merger integration issues including national cultural differences with respect to attitudes, lifestyles, and approaches to business management emerged. The accounting and management information systems of the two companies did not go through post-merger integration either.