FULL DIGITAL INDUSTRY

GE (GE) and Baker Hughes (BHI) today announced

that the companies have entered into an agreement to combine GE’s oil and gas business (“GE Oil & Gas”) and Baker Hughes to create a world-leading oilfield technology provider with a unique mix of service and equipment capabilities. The “New” Baker Hughes will be a leading equipment, technology and services provider in the oil and gas industry with $32 billion of combined revenue1 and operations in more than 120 countries. By drawing from GE technology expertise and Baker Hughes capabilities in oilfield services, the new company will provide best-in-class physical and digital technology solutions for customer productivity.Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, at the closing of the transaction Baker Hughes shareholders will receive a special one-time cash dividend of $17.50 per share and 37.5% of the new company. GE will own 62.5% of the company. The transaction is expected to close in mid 2017.
“This transaction creates an industry leader, one that is ideally positioned to grow in any market. Oil & gas customers demand more productive solutions. This can only be achieved through technical innovation and service execution, the hallmarks of GE and Baker Hughes,” said Jeff Immelt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GE. “As we built the GE Oil & Gas business, I have always been impressed by the respect our customers have for Baker Hughes. GE Oil & Gas is a key GE business, one that fully leverages the GE Store. As we go forward, this transaction accelerates our capability to extend the digital framework to the oil and gas industry. An oilfield service platform is essential to deliver digitally enabled offerings to our customers. We expect Predix to become an industry standard and synonymous with improved customer outcomes. GE investors will benefit through ownership of a stronger business with substantial synergies and an improved competitive position. The transaction is expected to add approximately $.04 to GE EPS in 2018, $.08 by 2020.”