Greenbrier-Astra Rail Merger Approved

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE: GBX) and Astra Rail Management GmbH announced that the companies’ planned merger to create Greenbrier-Astra Rail has received all required regulatory approvals from relevant European antitrust officials.

The transaction will be completed on June 1, 2017 and combines the operations of Greenbrier Europe and Astra Rail to create an end-to-end, Europe-based freight railcar manufacturing, engineering and repair business. With principal operations in Poland and Romania and headquarters in the Netherlands, Greenbrier-Astra Rail will have nearly 4,000 employees and 6 production facilities across Europe.

© GBX

About Greenbrier

Greenbrier (www.gbrx.com), headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading international supplier of equipment and services to freight rail transportation markets. Greenbrier designs, builds and markets freight railcars in North America, Latin America and Europe.  We also build and market marine barges in North America.  We manufacture freight railcars in Brazil through a strategic partnership in which we hold a majority interest and produce rail castings through a separate Brazilian partnership. In October 2016, we entered into an agreement with Astra Rail Management GmbH to form a new company, Greenbrier-Astra Rail, which will create an end-to-end, Europe-based freight railcar manufacturing, engineering and repair business. We expect this combination to be completed on June 1, 2017. Through our European manufacturing operations, we deliver U.S.-designed tank cars to Saudi Arabia. We are a leading provider of wheel services, parts, leasing and other services to the railroad and related transportation industries in North America and a supplier of freight railcar repair, refurbishment and retrofitting services in North America through a joint venture partnership with Watco Companies, LLC. Through other joint ventures, we produce rail castings, tank heads and other railcar components. Greenbrier owns a lease fleet of over 8,000 railcars and performs management services for over 266,000 railcars.

About Astra Rail

In 1998, Thomas Manns, at the young age of 21, stepped in to run his family’s business of commercial vehicle rentals upon the death of his father. He built that company into a major force in Western and Eastern European markets.  After selling the business in 2008, Mr. Manns entered the real estate business in Eastern Europe and Germany.  In 2012, he purchased Astra Rail properties and together with Mr. Bernd Böse, who runs the operative business of Astra Rail, built the multi-plant business into a highly profitable operation with three manufacturing, engineering and repair factories in Arad, Severin and Caracal, Romania over the course of a few short years.

Original article © GBX.

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