Clifford Chance has advised RHI Magnesita on the acquisition of the entire Preiss-Daimler Group refractory business (“P-D Refractories”) with sites in Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. RHI Magnesita is a global leader in high-quality refractory products, systems and solutions with production sites and offices across 39 countries.

The acquisition adds four production facilities (in Germany and the Czech Republic) and two raw material mines (in the Czech Republic and Slovenia) to RHI Magnesita’s global production network. Substantial benefits are also expected in terms of the recycling business from integrating the company’s know-how into P-D Refractories’ operations.

P-D Refractories is a producer of high-quality refractories for industrial applications and is a market leader in the glass and aluminium sectors. The P-D Refractories’ product portfolio ranges from high-alumina specialties to bauxite, andalusite, silica, fireclay and magnesite bricks. The company generated revenues of EUR 171 million in 2022.

The Clifford Chance team was led by partner Simon Schmid and comprised senior associate Ribana Piontek and associate Yannick Niedergethmann (all Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf). The team also included partner Thomas Voland and associate Laura-Isabell Dietz (both Corporate/Regulatory, Dusseldorf), partner Sebastian Ritz and senior associate Alexander Stemmler (both Employment, Dusseldorf), partner Reinhard Scheer-Hennings and senior associate David Rahmel (both Real Estate, Dusseldorf) together with partner Claudia Milbradt and senior associate Nicolas Hohn-Hein (both IP, Dusseldorf). Counsel Michael Jasek and associate Tomas Prochazka (Corporate, Prague) were also part of the team.

Eva Ritter, Head of Legal Corporate & IP, was the in-house legal contact at RHI Magnesita.