On Monday, private equity and alternative investments bellwether KKR announced it has agreed to acquire Japanese chemical storage tank operator Central Tank Terminal (CTT) from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA). Price and other deal terms were not made public. KKR said their investment will be used to reinforce CTT’s leading position in the chemical storage tank industry and to pursue future growth opportunities, including bolt-on acquisitions. The acquisition marks KKR’s first-ever infrastructure investment in Japan.
CTT is Japan’s largest independent chemical storage tank operator, with more than 300,000 cubic meters of storage capacity across seven terminals located near key ports and strategic hubs around Tokyo Bay, Osaka Bay, Nagoya and Kitakyushu. CTT provides tank storage and auxiliary services to more than 80 blue-chip customers, including major chemical manufacturers with decades-long relationships with CTT.
“We are pleased to mark our first infrastructure investment in Japan with a leading business like CTT,” KKR’s Partner for KKR Asia Pacific and CEO of KKR Japan Hiro Hirano said. “We view this as the latest milestone for KKR in the market and believe this underscores our ability to leverage our experience and access to best global business practices to help take Japanese businesses to their next stage of growth across industries and sectors.”
“CTT has established itself as one of the top operators in Japan’s tank storage sector, and forged a strong culture of responsible safety and environment management,” Taka Hirayama, a Director on KKR’s Infrastructure team based in Tokyo, said. “Under the leadership of CEO Miyakawa, This is evident in its long relationships with its major customers spanning decades, and its initiative to report its ESG performance annually. We are excited to invest behind CTT and its growth, and look to build on its success by sharing KKR’s network and knowledge.”
KKR is investing from its Asia Pacific Infrastructure Fund. KKR’s infrastructure strategy in Japan is focused on leveraging KKR’s global expertise and platform to help domestic companies drive operational excellence of their assets and expand into overseas markets. KKR says it continues to seek out compelling opportunities where KKR can be value-add investors and create synergies for its infrastructure investments. With this latest investment, KKR has signed or completed infrastructure investments in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, China, India, and the Philippines in 2021.
In addition, the transaction marks KKR’s latest investment in Japan and builds on its track record as an active investor in the country. In addition to CTT, KKR has made several investments in Japan from its private equity strategy, which include Seiyu, a nationwide supermarket chain, Koki Holdings, a power tool and life science equipment manufacturer, Kokusai Electric, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, PHC, a leading manufacturer of medical devices, Marelli, a leading supplier of automotive components, and From Scratch, an integrated data-driven marketing SaaS platform in Japan.
In 2020, CTT began reporting environmental, social and governance performance based on the GRESB Infrastructure Asset Assessment, and reported lower-than-peer-average emissions and energy consumption intensities.
The transaction is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions.
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