Intervale Capital, an energy-focused private equity firm, has partnered with a management team to form Certus Energy Solutions. Certus is focused on providing premium oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and other downhole products, and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Certus currently services customers in the Rocky Mountain and Mid-Continent regions of the US and has plans to expand to other regions. Patrick Williamson, previously a senior vice president at Key Energy Services, serves as Certus’ president and chief executive officer. He brings over 30 years of oilfield service experience to the company, and has recruited a team of veteran operational

AXA Private Equity, a major shareholder in Fives, has supported the engineering group’s acquisition of MAG Americas, a supplier of high-performance machinery. MAG Americas is one of the leading global players in the production of complex machinery and composite processing. The acquisition will enable Fives to expand its product range and strengthen its presence in North America. It will also grow Fives’ existing customer base, most notably among major industrial groups in aerospace, mining, energy, and agriculture.   MAG Americas has approximately 1,000 employees, based in the US, France, Canada, China, and South Korea. In 2012, the company had a

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) is to acquire industrial machinery maker Gardner Denver in a transaction valued at approximately USD3.9bn, including the assumption of debt. Under the terms of the merger agreement, KKR will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Gardner Denver common stock for USD76 per share in cash. This price represents a premium of approximately 39 per cent to Gardner Denver’s share price on 24 October 2012, the day before the company confirmed that it had begun to explore strategic alternatives. The merger is subject to approval from Gardner Denver’s shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Ogier has advised Avis Budget on the high yield bond financing for its USD500m acquisition of Zipcar.  Avis Budget and Zipcar currently anticipate that the transaction will be completed this week. Avis Budget Group is a provider of vehicle rental services through its Avis and Budget brands, with more than 10,000 rental locations in approximately 175 countries around the world. Zipcar is a car sharing network, with more than 777,000 members and nearly 10,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the US, Canada, the UK, Spain and Austria. Zipcar offers vehicles by the hour or day to residents

Managed Pressure Operations (MPO), an oilfield services and technology company, has been acquired by Aker Solutions, a global oilfield services provider. MPO, a company that provides continuous circulation and managed pressure drilling (MPD) systems, was an NGP Energy Technology Partners portfolio company. NGP ETP, a private equity firm that manages approximately USD500m in capital commitments, focuses on investments in energy technology and service companies. MPO was advised by investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt and the law firms of BoyarMiller and Schjodt. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The acquisition places Aker Solutions at the forefront of technology development

Private equity and venture capital firms committed USD7.9bn to investments in Latin America in 2012, representing a five-year high and a 21 per cent increase over 2011, according to data released by the Latin American Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (LAVCA). The USD7.9bn total reflects 237 investments, a 37 per cent increase in the number of deals from the previous year. Seven large firms that had raised over USD11bn for pan-regional and Brazilian funds in 2010 and 2011 put that money to work in new deals across a range of markets and sectors. Investments in consumer-related sectors dominated in

Sverica International Management’s Fund III has acquired Dexmet Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of highly engineered expanded foils and polymers used in a variety of end markets. The company provides solutions for a range of mission critical applications, including lightning strike protection for major composite aircraft manufacturers, anodes and cathodes for advanced battery technologies and supportive materials for filtration and automotive applications. “This partnership with Sverica comes at an exciting time for Dexmet,” says Bob Bochman, president of Dexmet. “Sverica shares our long-term view of the considerable market opportunity for Dexmet’s products and will help us become even better strategic