Important Information For Investors And Stockholders
This communication does not constitute an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. This communication relates to a proposed business combination between Baker Hughes Incorporated (“Baker Hughes”) and Halliburton Company (“Halliburton”). In connection with this proposed business combination, Baker Hughes and/or Halliburton may file one or more proxy statements, registration statements, proxy statement/prospectus or other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This communication is not a substitute for any proxy statement, registration statement, proxy statement/prospectus or other document Baker Hughes and/or Halliburton may file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF BAKER HUGHES AND HALLIBURTON ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT(S), REGISTRATION STATEMENT(S), PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Any definitive proxy statement(s) (if and when available) will be mailed to stockholders of Baker Hughes and/or Halliburton, as applicable. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of these documents (if and when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Baker Hughes and/or Halliburton through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Baker Hughes will be available free of charge on Baker Hughes’ internet website at http://www.bakerhughes.com or by contacting Baker Hughes’ Investor Relations Department by email at trey.clark@bakerhughes.com or alondra.oteyza@bakerhughes.com or by phone at +1-713-439-8039 or +1-713-439-8822. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Halliburton will be available free of charge on Halliburton’s internet website at http://www.halliburton.com or by contacting Halliburton’s Investor Relations Department by email at investors@halliburton.com or by phone at +1-281-871-2688.
Participants in Solicitation
Baker Hughes, Halliburton, their respective directors and certain of their respective executive officers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Baker Hughes is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on February 12, 2014, its proxy statement for its 2014 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 5, 2014, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 which was filed with the SEC on October 21, 2014 and its Current Reports on Form 8-K, which were filed with the SEC on June 10, 2014 and September 10, 2014. Information about the directors and executive officers of Halliburton is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on February 7, 2014, its proxy statement for its 2014 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 8, 2014, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 which was filed with the SEC on October 24, 2014 and its Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on July 21, 2014.
These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this communication regarding the proposed acquisition of Baker Hughes by Halliburton, including any statements regarding the expected timetable for completing the proposed transaction, benefits and synergies of the proposed transaction, future opportunities for the combined company and products, future financial performance and any other statements regarding Halliburton’s and Baker Hughes’ future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or future events or performance that are not historical facts are “forward-looking” statements made within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “ensure,” “expect,” “if,” “intend,” “estimate,” “probable,” “project,” “forecasts,” “predict,” “outlook,” “aim,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “potential,” “may,” “might,” “anticipate,” “likely” “plan,” “positioned,” “strategy,” and similar expressions, and the negative thereof, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
All forward-looking information are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Baker Hughes and Halliburton, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: failure to obtain the required votes of Baker Hughes’ or Halliburton’s stockholders; the timing to consummate the proposed transaction; the risk that a condition to closing of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied or that the closing of the proposed transaction might otherwise not occur; the risk that a regulatory approval that may be required for the proposed transaction is not obtained or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues; the ultimate timing, outcome and results of integrating the operations of Baker Hughes and Halliburton and the ultimate outcome of Halliburton’s operating efficiencies applied to Baker Hughes’ products and services; the effects of the business combination of Baker Hughes and Halliburton, including the combined company’s future financial condition, results of operations, strategy and plans; expected synergies and other benefits from the proposed transaction and the ability of Halliburton to realize such synergies and other benefits; expectations regarding regulatory approval of the transaction; results of litigation, settlements, and investigations; civil unrest, government expropriations and/or epidemic outbreaks; final court approval of, and the satisfaction of the conditions in, Halliburton’s September 2014 settlement relating to the Macondo well incident in the Gulf of Mexico; appeals of the multi-district litigation District Court's September 2014 ruling regarding Phase 1 of the trial, and future rulings of the District Court; results of litigation, settlements, and investigations not covered by the settlement or the District Court's rulings; actions by third parties, including governmental agencies, relating to the Macondo well incident; BP's April 2012 settlement relating to the Macondo well incident, indemnification, and insurance matters; with respect to repurchases of Halliburton common stock, the continuation or suspension of the repurchase program, the amount, the timing and the trading prices of Halliburton common stock, and the availability and alternative uses of cash; actions by third parties, including governmental agencies; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas can be significantly impacted by weakness in the worldwide economy; consequences of audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies and related publicity and potential adverse proceedings by such agencies; protection of intellectual property rights and against cyber attacks; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements, particularly those related to offshore oil and natural gas exploration, radioactive sources, explosives, chemicals, hydraulic fracturing services and climate-related initiatives; compliance with laws related to income taxes and assumptions regarding the generation of future taxable income; risks of international operations, including risks relating to unsettled political conditions, war, the effects of terrorism, and foreign exchange rates and controls, international trade and regulatory controls, and doing business with national oil companies; weather-related issues, including the effects of hurricanes and tropical storms; changes in capital spending by customers; delays or failures by customers to make payments owed to us; execution of long-term, fixed-price contracts; impairment of oil and natural gas properties; structural changes in the oil and natural gas industry; maintaining a highly skilled workforce; availability and cost of raw materials; and integration of acquired businesses and operations of joint ventures. Expectations regarding business outlook, including changes in revenue, pricing, capital spending, profitability, strategies for our operations, oil and natural gas market conditions, customers’ business plans, market share and contract terms, costs and availability of resources, legal, economic and regulatory conditions, and environmental matters are only forecasts regarding these matters. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in Baker Hughes’ and Halliburton’s respective filings with the SEC and available through the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval system at http://www.sec.gov, including Baker Hughes’ and Halliburton’s most recent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. Baker Hughes’ forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Baker Hughes believes to be reasonable but that may not prove to be accurate. Baker Hughes and Halliburton assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.
Employee Message and Translation
Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen,
wie Sie ja bereits vor einigen Tagen von unserem CEO Martin Craighead erfahren haben, haben sich Baker Hughes und Halliburton – zwei Best-in-Class-Unternehmen – auf einen Zusammenschluss geeinigt.
Durch den Zusammenschluss mit Halliburton verbinden wir zwei stark komplementäre Portfolios so, dass wir unseren Kunden eine unübertroffene Tiefe und Breite an Lösungen anbieten können. Diese Transaktion stellt den besten Weg, um den Wert für die Aktionäre des Unternehmens zu maximieren und dabei die Möglichkeiten für Kunden und Mitarbeiter zu verbessern. Im Rahmen dieser Fusion ist es wichtig, sich daran zu erinnern, dass Baker Hughes selbst durch unzählige Akquisitionen entstanden ist.
Allerdings müssen wir noch die Zustimmung der Aktionäre beider Unternehmen und der Aufsichtsbehörden einholen. Dieses Verfahren dürfte bis zu einem Jahr dauern. Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt sollten wir mit Halliburton nicht kommunizieren, da wir weiterhin Wettbewerber sind.
Wir sollten uns durch die Medienberichterstattung nicht verunsichern lassen und weiterhin engagiert unserer Arbeit nachgehen.
Auf der Betriebsversammlung in der nächsten Woche werden wir weiter zu diesem Thema Stellung nehmen und – soweit möglich – offene Fragen beantworten.
Bitte haben Sie Verständnis dafür, dass wir zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt keine weiteren Informationen geben können.
Dear Colleagues,
Some days ago our CEO Martin Craighead announced the merger of Baker Hughes and Halliburton – two best-in-class companies.
By combining with Halliburton, we will combine two highly complementary portfolios to deliver an unsurpassed depth and breadth of solutions to our customers. This deal represents the best way to maximize value for the company’s stockholders, while enhancing opportunities for customers and employees. In the context of this merger it is important to remember that Baker Hughes was built through countless acquisitions.
But we still need to gain the approval by the stockholders of both companies and by regulatory authorities. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2015. Until the deal closes, we should not communicate or coordinate with Halliburton as we are still competitors.
We should not be unsettled and continue to stay focused on our work.
During the Town Hall Meeting next week we will talk about this topic and answer questions as far as possible.
We trust that you will understand that we cannot give you further information at this point of time.
Johannes Witte
Sen. Director Technology| Drilling Services
Managing Director Celle Technology Center
Baker Hughes
Baker-Hughes-Straße 1
29221 Celle, Germany
Office: +495141203521 | Fax: +495141203371
Cell: +491712253295| johannes.witte@bakerhughes.com
http://www.bakerhughes.com | Advancing Reservoir Performance