Baker McKenzie, alongside the firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, has advised the Schmolz + Bickenbach group in the context of its acquisition of assets from the French speciality steel producer, Ascometal.

Ascometal is a European leader in specialty long steel products dedicated to the automobile, bearings, energy and mechanical engineering sectors, with a yearly turnover of around €500 million. Ascometal has 1,550 employees deployed over 5 industrial sites in France in addition to an industrial joint venture in China (Mascometal Ldt) and commercial subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland and the United States. 

Schmolz + Bickenbach is one of the leading world suppliers of customised solutions in the special long steel products business. The group has around 9,000 employees working on its production and distribution activities in 35 countries across 5 continents.  

On January 29, 2018, the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Strasbourg selected the bid submitted by Schmolz + Bickenbach, after obtaining the necessary authorisation from the European Commission within the tight deadlines inherent to this type of procedure. 

Schmolz + Bickenbach was advised by Baker McKenzie with Alain Sauty de Chalon, partner, assisted by Gautier Valdiguié, associate, for Corporate aspects. Léna Sersiron, partner, assisted by Thomas Guérin, senior associate, and Laurianne Coq, associate, were consulted on Competition – Distribution aspects. Olivier Vasset, partner, assisted by Arnaud Bresch, associate, also worked on labour law aspects and Marie-Laetitia De La Ville Baugé, counsel, and Roman Roussel, associate, on public and environmental law aspects.