Case Study: Fraikin Sa
Case Study: Fraikin SA
Comparison of Three Financing Options
a. Background Analysis Current Situation Founded in 1994, Fraikin group, the largest French truck rental operation, took up 30% of the market share by 2004. The core operation business of Fraikin is to provide its clients with customized trucks and commercial vehicles, primarily under long-term operating lease contracts. During the period from 1999 to 2002, the number of the leased trucks was continuously increasing (from 59,600 to 74,300), which indicated a stable growth of the company and a possibly booming market in the future. However, as a capital-incentive company, only continuous investment on fleet maintenance and expansion can retain Fraikin’s leader position in the market, which, on the other hand, resulted in negative cash flow recently. Financing Problem Causality In 2003, Fraikin had been acquired by Eurazeo, an investment company, who owned 55% of Fraikin’s stock and with a target internal rate return of 20% and fleet growth rate of 6%. The control of the Eurazeo aimed to enhance the Fraikin’s operational performance and growth and create long-term shareholder value. To make this acquisition successful, CIC and Calyon, two French banks, granted Fraikin a bridge loan on condition that the acquirers would refinance the loan within the year. In March 2004, Gerony, the CFO of Fraikin were hesitated about three financing alternatives, leverage buyout, assets-backed loan, and securitization, which would enable Fraikin to repay this large bridge loan at cost-efficient way. Calculations Notice One of the main incomes of Fraikin was the disposal revenue of the trucks, which were sold on the second-hand market at an average age of 6.5 years. Different from the normal calculation, these disposals represented significant part in Fraikin’s regular operating activities, therefore should be included in the calculation of operating value. b. Leverage Buyout (LBO) Leverage buyout was an acquisition of a
Comparison of Three Financing Options
a. Background Analysis Current Situation Founded in 1994, Fraikin group, the largest French truck rental operation, took up 30% of the market share by 2004. The core operation business of Fraikin is to provide its clients with customized trucks and commercial vehicles, primarily under long-term operating lease contracts. During the period from 1999 to 2002, the number of the leased trucks was continuously increasing (from 59,600 to 74,300), which indicated a stable growth of the company and a possibly booming market in the future. However, as a capital-incentive company, only continuous investment on fleet maintenance and expansion can retain Fraikin’s leader position in the market, which, on the other hand, resulted in negative cash flow recently. Financing Problem Causality In 2003, Fraikin had been acquired by Eurazeo, an investment company, who owned 55% of Fraikin’s stock and with a target internal rate return of 20% and fleet growth rate of 6%. The control of the Eurazeo aimed to enhance the Fraikin’s operational performance and growth and create long-term shareholder value. To make this acquisition successful, CIC and Calyon, two French banks, granted Fraikin a bridge loan on condition that the acquirers would refinance the loan within the year. In March 2004, Gerony, the CFO of Fraikin were hesitated about three financing alternatives, leverage buyout, assets-backed loan, and securitization, which would enable Fraikin to repay this large bridge loan at cost-efficient way. Calculations Notice One of the main incomes of Fraikin was the disposal revenue of the trucks, which were sold on the second-hand market at an average age of 6.5 years. Different from the normal calculation, these disposals represented significant part in Fraikin’s regular operating activities, therefore should be included in the calculation of operating value. b. Leverage Buyout (LBO) Leverage buyout was an acquisition of a