The creation of a large multiutilities hub in the North in a strategic sector such as that of public utility services: this is the main reason for the M&A Award assigned to Hera yesterday in Milan as part of the initiative promoted by KPMG and Fineurop Soditic . The award, now in its XNUMXth edition, aims to spread the culture of M&A as a managerial lever for the dimensional growth of companies and entry into global markets.
In particular, Hera was awarded in the 'Italy on Italy' category for the acquisition of the Friuli-based AMGA. According to the Jury's motivations, Hera continues on its path of consolidation and value creation, proposing itself more and more as a large 'multi-utility hub' in the North, able to offer integrated multi-service solutions in the area. In this sense, Hera's M&A experience, which is now an integral part of the company's DNA, represents an interesting model for the entire sector at national level.
Since its inception in 2002, Hera has represented the first national experience of aggregation of municipal companies (11, operating in Emilia-Romagna), creating a single multi-utility. In the following 12 years it embarked on a path of constant and balanced growth, incorporating into the Group about ten companies active in the same fields, up to the point of expanding outside the region, in the Marche, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
“We are very proud to receive the M&A Award for the operation with AMGA Udine as it is a representative example of the 22 integration operations carried out by the Hera Group over the years. All our integration processes have always followed a logic of territorial contiguity, since the activities are mainly based on networks (gas, water and electricity) with increasing synergies the greater their interconnection" declared Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano, Executive Chairman of the Group Hera. “After the integrations of Trieste and Gorizia, completed between 2013 and the beginning of 2014, thanks to AMGA Udine we have carried out a strategic operation that has led us to cover almost the entire Friuli Venezia Giulia region, increasing the quality and efficiency of the activities now managed in that area in a coordinated manner through AcegasApsAmga, which also operates in Padua. In the Triveneto area, in particular, we have planned to extract around 5 million euro of synergies over the 35 years of the Business Plan, more than 20% more than the overall EBITDA of the various companies before the merger"
During the Milanese event, the Swedish multinational Meda, in the 'Abroad on Italy' category, and Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, in the 'Italy on Abroad' category were also awarded, while the 'Finance for growth' Special Award was conferred to the Generali Group. Over the years, the M&A Award project has highlighted some of the most interesting business stories on the national scene, including: Amplifon, Autogrill, Brembo, Campari, Enel, Fiat, Intesa Sanpaolo, Italcementi, Lottomatica, Luxottica, Prysmian, Recordati, Unicredit . Italian and multinational companies that have established themselves on the markets also thanks to acquisition operations.
