Hints and tips:
...In May, USG agreed to open its books to Knauf and resume talks on a potential deal....
...The German group, which makes drywall and insulation materials for buildings, had initially offered $40.10 to take over USG last year, but ultimately increased its bid to $42 a share in March....
...USG had previously argued that Knauf would need to increase its bid for the company before it would share that information. Knauf had previously offered $42 a share for USG....
...USG has another longstanding shareholder, a private German building materials company, Knauf, that owns a tenth. Mr Buffett wants out. As it happens, Knauf wants in and is offering to buy all of USG....
...and people,” Messrs Knauf and Grundke said....
...Berkshire is USG’s largest shareholder and Knauf, with 10.5 per cent, is its second-largest. Knauf has held a stake in USG, a maker of drywall and ceiling panels, since 2000....
...By contrast, insulation companies, such as Knauf of Germany and Saint-Gobain of France, say fixed goals are essential to unlocking investment....
...Germany’s Knauf and France’s Saint-Gobain are world leaders in insulation. Companies such as France’s Dalkia and Denmark’s Danfoss work in the heating sector....
...Tony Robson, Group Chief Executive Officer, Knauf Insulation, Iphofen, Germany...
...Taking account of both performance and eco-credentials, I chose a range of insulation products from Knauf, including glass fibre wall insulation, 85 per cent of which is composed from recycled glass bottles...
...The four biggest insulation manufacturers globally have traditionally been France’s St Gobain, Germany’s Knauf, and the US-based companies Owens Corning and Johns Manville....
...In practical terms, such buildings would have to use enhanced insulation, glazed windows and other features while generating much of their heat and electricity from renewable sources....
...As managing director of Knauf Insulation, a division of the German group Knauf Gips that supplies nearly 60 per cent of the UK’s glass wool loft insulation, Mr Andrews felt the change keenly....
...“The plasterboard market in Europe is split between BPB, France’s Lafarge and German group Knauf. They’ve all got too much market share to combine in any other way....
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