NORWALK, Conn. & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (TSE:4901) and Xerox Corporation (NYSE:XRX) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine Xerox and their longstanding Fuji Xerox joint venture. The combined company will be a global leader in innovative print technologies and intelligent work solutions with annual revenues of $18 billion and leadership positions in key geographic regions.This proposed combination provides Xerox shareholders with significant cash at closing, as well as a substantial interest in the significantly enhanced combined company. Under the terms of the agreement, Xerox shareholders will receive a $2.5 billion special cash dividend, or approximately $9.80 per share1, funded from the combined company’s balance sheet, and own 49.9% of the combined company at closing. The cash dividend represents more than 30% of Xerox’s unaffected share price of $30.35 based on closing share price as of January 10, 2018. Fujifilm will own 50.1% of the combined company and provide important operational support and transformational leadership.

The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both Fujifilm and Xerox. The combined company will be named “Fuji Xerox” and trade on the NYSE under the ticker XRX. The new Fuji Xerox will have dual headquarters in Norwalk, CT, U.S. and in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with presence in over 180 countries. The combined company will go to market and maintain the iconic “Xerox” and “Fuji Xerox” brands within its respective operating regions.

Shigetaka Komori, chairman and chief executive officer of Fujifilm, said, “Fujifilm and Xerox have fostered an exceptional partnership through our existing Fuji Xerox joint venture, and this transaction is a strategic evolution of our alliance. The Document Solutions business represents a significant part of Fujifilm’s portfolio, and the creation of the new Fuji Xerox allows us to more directly establish a leadership position in a fast-changing market. We believe Fujifilm’s track record of advancing technology in innovative imaging and information solutions – especially in inkjet, imaging, and AI areas – will be important components of the success of the new Fuji Xerox.”

Mr. Komori added, “I am confident that Fujifilm’s ability to drive change as well as its experience of successful reinvention will give a competitive edge to the new Fuji Xerox, delivering significant value creation to shareholders of both the new Fuji Xerox and Fujifilm. We are delighted to welcome Xerox and its employees to the Fujifilm family and look forward to combining our strengths towards jointly shaping the future of our industry.”

Jeff Jacobson, chief executive officer of Xerox, said, “The proposed combination has compelling industrial logic and will unlock significant growth and productivity opportunities for the combined company, while delivering substantial value to Xerox shareholders. The new Fuji Xerox will be better positioned to compete in today’s environment with truly global scale, increased presence in fast-growing markets, and innovation capabilities to effectively meet our customers’ rapidly-evolving demands. In addition, the combined company’s strong financial profile will enable investments that support continued market leadership, while also providing opportunities for increasing capital returns over time.”

Robert J. Keegan, chairman of Xerox’s Board of Directors, said, “Today’s announcement follows a comprehensive review of our strategic and financial alternatives led by Xerox’s independent directors that began after the separation of Conduent in 2016. Upon careful consideration of all alternatives available to the company, the Board of Directors concluded that this combination is clearly the best path to create value for our shareholders. An attractive, certain cash dividend, together with participation in the future success of the combined company, presents a compelling value equation for Xerox shareholders. We are excited to strengthen our longstanding relationship with Fujifilm as we enter the next phase of Xerox’s transformation journey.”

Clear Leader in Innovative Print Technologies and Intelligent Work Solutions

Xerox shareholders will have the opportunity to participate in the new Fuji Xerox’s accelerated revenue trajectory and long-term value creation potential. The transaction builds on the 56-year collaborative history between Fujifilm and Xerox to create a global leader in innovative print technologies and intelligent work solutions with enhanced scale and innovation capabilities:

• Global leader with combined revenue of approximately $18 billion and nearly $120 billion total addressable opportunity.
• Enhanced scale with presence in over 180 countries and covering key geographies including North America, Japan, Europe, Asia Pacific and China.
• Combined leadership with a strong track record of operational excellence, transformation experience, customer relationships and industry expertise.
• Improved revenue profile and growth trajectory by leveraging the combined expertise, competitive strengths and geographic reach of the two companies.
• World-class innovation capabilities to define the future of innovative print technologies and intelligent work solutions by bringing together two R&D and innovation leaders, along with Fujifilm’s extensive expertise. The new Fuji Xerox will be well-positioned to lead in growing areas such as high-speed inkjet, packaging, industrial print and workplace automation, as well as future development opportunities in artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things and augmented reality.
• Strengthened balance sheet and cash flow generation to provide flexibility to support strategic investments in growth and enable increasing capital returns.

Significant Value Creation Opportunity

This highly synergistic combination is expected to deliver at least $1.7 billion in total annual cost savings by 2022, with approximately $1.2 billion of the total cost savings expected to be achieved by 2020. The targeted cost savings represent approximately 10% of the total cost base of the new Fuji Xerox and will drive significant margin expansion over the next four years.

Of the total $1.7 billion cost savings, $1.25 billion is related to the synergies that will be achieved through the transaction. In addition, the combined company will benefit from a cost reduction program commencing immediately at the existing Fuji Xerox joint venture, which is targeted to generate approximately $450 million of cost savings on an annualized basis. These amounts are incremental to Xerox’s ongoing Strategic Transformation initiatives. The new company expects to incur approximately $1.4 billion in one-time integration and restructuring costs, mainly in the first three years.

The new Fuji Xerox will also have significant revenue synergy opportunities over time as it capitalizes on its global reach, industry-leading scale and enhanced innovation capabilities. Importantly, the combined company will have an increased total addressable opportunity estimated at nearly $120 billion and a strong presence in attractive growth markets, allowing the new company to become more competitive and better able to serve customers and business partners globally.

Balance Sheet and Capital Allocation

The new Fuji Xerox expects to maintain investment grade credit ratings at closing. The new company will maintain Xerox’s current $1.00 annual dividend per share and commitment to return at least 50 percent of free cash flow to shareholders. The enhanced financial flexibility of the combined company is expected to allow for greater capital deployment toward targeted growth initiatives, share repurchases and increased dividends over time.

Leadership and Governance

Upon close of the transaction, Jeff Jacobson will serve as chief executive officer of the new Fuji Xerox.

The combined company’s Board of Directors will include 12 members, seven of whom will be appointed by the Fujifilm Board. Five independent directors will be appointed from the Xerox Board. Shigetaka Komori will serve as chairman of the board.

Financing Commitments

Financing commitments of $2.5 billion have been provided by Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc.

Path to Completion

The transaction, which is expected to close in the second half of calendar year 2018, is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and approval by Xerox shareholders.

Advisors

Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are serving as exclusive financial advisors to Fujifilm, and Morrison & Foerster LLP is acting as legal counsel. Centerview Partners LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Xerox and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as legal counsel.

For More Information

Additional information regarding the transaction can be found on www.thenewfujixerox.com.

About Fujifilm

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, brings continuous innovation with leading-edge, proprietary technologies by leveraging its photography expertise into a broad range of industries globally, including healthcare, graphic systems, highly functional materials, optical devices, digital imaging and document products. These products are based on its extensive portfolio of chemical, mechanical, optical, electronic and imaging technologies. Fujifilm has operated in North America since 1965, with approximately 6,000 employees currently in the U.S. and Canada. For the year ended March 31, 2017, the company had global revenues of $20.7 billion, at an exchange rate of 112 yen to the dollar. Fujifilm is committed to responsible environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit: www.fujifilmholdings.com.

About Xerox

Xerox Corporation is a technology leader that innovates the way the world communicates, connects and works. We understand what’s at the heart of sharing information – and all of the forms it can take. We embrace the integration of paper and digital, the increasing requirement for mobility, and the need for seamless integration between work and personal worlds. Every day, our innovative print technologies and intelligent work solutions help people communicate and work better. Discover more at www.xerox.com and follow us on Twitter at @Xerox.

About Fuji Xerox

Founded in 1962, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. is a leading company in the Document Services & Communications field, offering solutions and services to help customers resolve their business challenges. Underlying our solutions and services are our world-class office multifunction devices, printers and production printers that we develop and manufacture for worldwide distribution. Together with cloud and mobile solutions, Fuji Xerox builds a communications environment that enable our customers to access the right information, at the right time, and in the right form—thereby contributing to their valuable communications. Fuji Xerox is a 75-25 joint venture between FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation and Xerox Corporation, and its direct sales force covers Japan and the Asia-Pacific region including China. As a $10 billion enterprise, we employ approximately 47,350 people globally, with more than 80 domestic and overseas affiliates / sales subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.fujixerox.com.