International. United Technologies Corp. announced it is splitting into three independent companies following the closing of its $30 billion acquisition of aerospace firm Rockwell Collins. Following the separation, UTC will continue to operate as an aerospace company comprised of Pratt & Whitney and collins Aerospace Systems' new businesses, while Otis elevator and Climate, Controls & Security (CCS), which will be renamed Carrier, will be spun off.
On a conference call with investors, UTC President and CEO Greg Hayes also confirmed that the company is exploring the possibility of selling Carrier's fire and safety "field" business ahead of the official spin-off.
"That's about $2.5 billion in sales at about 10 percent business type margin," Hayes said. "Carrier's focus going forward will be on products and services, not field installation. As we think about the portfolio, if we decide to get rid of the field business (fire and security), it will be to give us a better focus on the future of our portfolio of products and services. "We like fire products, we like safety products, refrigeration and transportation parts, all those other Carrier parts beyond commercial and residential HVAC."
Although Hayes did not specify which companies in its fire and safety portfolio would be part of a potential sale, it was reported that the company has been seeking bidders for its Chubb Fire & Security division.
A defining moment for UTC
Hayes said the board's decision to seek a separation from the existing company is a "pivotal moment" in the company's history that follows a more than year-long evaluation of its portfolio. The separation of UTC has also been sought by several activist investors of the company.
"We believe the proposed separation of three industry-leading public companies will maximize each independent company's ability to drive sustained earnings growth through economic cycles and maximize long-term shareholder value," Hayes said.
Hayes also emphasized that the separation will allow each company to create its own capital structure and make capital allocation decisions to suit its own individual business models.
"I think it's important to reiterate that these three companies are already leaders in their respective industries," Hayes added. "There's no weak sister here that we're worried about moving forward with and each of these companies will have a better chance of developing their own industry histories in form as independent companies."
While initially hesitant about the idea of separating the company, Hayes said something significant that has changed with the acquisition of Rockwell Collins is the ability of his aerospace business to fend for itself.
"We will now have an aerospace business that will have sales of approximately $50 billion by 2020 and that gives us the ability, with that scale, to think about an independent aerospace business. We've always known that the Carrier and Otis businesses could be independent, but we were always concerned about the aerospace business because of the very long cycle of investments and cash backs, so I think we always thought we needed commercial business to support the aero companies, but with the scale we have today, that's no longer the case," Hayes said. And the world has changed. I think we all recognize the fact that focused companies tend to do better."
