Cantel to Acquire Hu-Friedy

LITTLE FALLS, N.J. and CHICAGO, July 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cantel Medical Corp. (CMD) ("Cantel" or the "Company"), a global leader in instrument reprocessing and innovative infection prevention products and services, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co. ("Hu-Friedy"), a 111-year-old global leading manufacturer of instruments and instrument reprocessing workflow systems serving the dental industry. This combination creates a provider of comprehensive infection prevention, instrument and instrument management solutions to optimize dental practitioners' need for superior clinical performance and best-in-class infection prevention practices. Cantel is acquiring Hu-Friedy for $725 million in upfront cash and stock consideration, and up to $50 million in earnout payments payable in cash and stock conditional on the achievement of commercial milestones in the first eighteen months after closing.

(PRNewsfoto/Cantel Medical Corp.)

The Company will hold a conference call to discuss the acquisition today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Call-in details are included below.

Combining Hu-Friedy's leading position in dental instrumentation and instrument management systems with Cantel's leading dental infection prevention consumables meaningfully accelerates Cantel's strategy to be the leading global provider of innovative infection prevention and reprocessing workflow solutions and education across its key end markets. During the twelve-month period ended May 31, 2019, Hu-Friedy generated approximately $214 million in revenue, and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $48 million.

"The combination of our two dental businesses provides a clear and immediate opportunity to become the leading provider of a 'Complete Circle of Protection' offering for instrument reprocessing workflow and infection prevention and compliance solutions in the dental industry," said George Fotiades, president and chief executive officer of Cantel. "By bringing together our highly complementary dental portfolios, we will create a business that is uniquely positioned to address the most critical workflow needs of our customers while improving patient care. Hu-Friedy brings us the scale, commercial capabilities and portfolio breadth to enable our dental business to be a significant driver of long-term profitable growth for Cantel." 

"We are excited to join forces with Cantel and are looking forward to the opportunities this combination will bring for our customers, employees and other stakeholders," said Ron Saslow, chairman and chief executive officer of Hu-Friedy. "As a leader in dental instrumentation and instrument management solutions, Hu-Friedy's combination with the Cantel portfolio of leading infection prevention dental consumables is a perfect match to further enhance our ability to serve our dental customers."

Hu-Friedy has built a position as a leader in the dental instruments and Instrument Management System ("IMS") categories, with a 90 percent branded portfolio, enjoying nearly 100 percent brand awareness among dentists and hygienists.

Hu-Friedy has a large and sophisticated sales and customer care team, supported by a strong marketing organization using industry-leading data analytics. This will enhance Cantel's commercial and customer engagement capabilities within the dental industry, which is expected to enable long-term growth. In addition, Hu-Friedy's leading education and training offerings, well-established presence in dental schools and continued work and engagement with key opinion leaders will enable the combined business to provide a differentiated education and broad solution-based offering to the dental industry.

Ron Saslow and Ken Serota, president of Hu-Friedy, will lead the combined dental business post-closing. Gary Steinberg, who has successfully built the Cantel dental division since the acquisition of Crosstex, will assist in the post-close transition and integration of these two businesses and will retire at the end of the calendar year.

About Cantel 

Cantel is a leading global company dedicated to delivering innovative infection prevention products and services for patients, caregivers, and other healthcare providers, which improve outcomes, enhance safety and help save lives. The Company's products include specialized medical device reprocessing systems for endoscopy and renal dialysis, advanced water purification equipment, sterilants, disinfectants and cleaners, sterility assurance monitoring products for hospitals and dental clinics, disposable infection control products primarily for dental and GI endoscopy markets, dialysate concentrates, hollow fiber membrane filtration and separation products. Additionally, Cantel provides technical service for its products.

For further information, visit www.cantelmedical.com.  

About Hu-Friedy

Founded in Chicago in 1908 by Hugo Friedman, Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC is a global leading manufacturer of dental instruments, and provider of instrument reprocessing workflow systems, that has served the dental industry for over 111 years. Acquired in 1959 by Dick Saslow and the Saslow family, and currently led by Chairman and CEO Ron Saslow, Hu-Friedy helps dental professionals perform at their best by  producing dental instruments, infection prevention solutions and unique customer experiences designed to function as an extension of each practitioner's skill. Its instruments, hand-crafted by highly-skilled artisans, are known for their precision, performance, quality and for the essential role they play in the overall journey from student to practitioner. Headquartered in Chicago, Hu-Friedy products are distributed in more than 100 countries and the company maintains offices in Germany, Italy, China and Japan.

For further information, visit www.hu-friedy.com.