Herbert Smith Freehills advises Rheinmetall on the acquisition of Hagedorn-NC

Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Rheinmetall AG on competition, merger control and foreign direct investment aspects of its acquisition of Hagedorn-NC GmbH.

Hagedorn-NC GmbH, based in Osnabrück, Germany, specializes in the production and sale of industrial nitrocellulose, which the company has been producing for over 100 years at its site in Lingen (Ems), Germany.

Nitrocellulose is also a key energy component of propellant powders. As part of the acquisition, relevant parts of the production will be converted to military applications.

The acquisition is subject to approval by the relevant authorities.

Rheinmetall AG, headquartered in Düsseldorf and listed on the stock exchange, is an integrated technology group and a leading international supplier of defence technology. With more than 31,000 employees at 171 locations, the company generates annual sales of €9.8 billion.

Advisors to Rheinmetall: Herbert Smith Freehills, Düsseldorf: Dr Marcel Nuys (Partner, Lead), Dr Florian Huerkamp (Counsel), Anne Eckenroth (Senior Associate; all Competition); Dr Marius Boewe (Partner), David Rasche, Dejan Einfeldt (Associates, all FDI).