Gerresheimer considers to take loans

FRANKFURT: German specialty glass maker Gerresheimer is mulling acquisitions in emerging markets as well as the North America and could tap equity markets to pay for them, the company's CFO told a German paper.

"Now we are better placed to make acquisitions," Hans-Juergen Wiecha told Boersen-Zeitung in an interview published on Saturday, pointing to a recent refinancing scheme.

"We want to take advantage of it and are looking at some possible transactions," he said, adding that the focus would be on acquisitions in emerging markets such as China, Brazil and India, with target companies reaching annual sales of 20-50 million euros ($29-73 million).

Wiecha said that the company whose fiscal year ends Nov. 30 -- would consider additional credit lines as well as tapping equity markets to make larger acquisitions in the US market.

He also said that some of the company's investors -- 50 percent of which he said were based in the United States or Canada -- agreed Gerresheimer could be a takeover candidate itself.

"However, I would not call it takeover speculation, since investors believe in our ongoing growth potential and profitability, which should be reflected in the valuation in the mid-term," Wiecha added.

Copyright Reuters, 2011