Ali Holding S.r.l., one of the largest and most diversified global leaders in the foodservice equipment industry, has announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Welbilt, Inc.

A cross-border Latham team represented the lead arrangers in a financing to support the transaction comprising a US$2.25 billion term loan B, a US$1.25 billion Euro-equivalent term Loan A and a US$250 million revolving credit facility, which included a banking/finance team led by New York partner Alfred Xue, London partner Hendrik Smit, Milan partners Marcello Bragliani, and Jeff Lawlis, and New York counsel Seung-Ju Paik, with associates Erika Brini Raimondi, Michela Mancini, Tulika Sinha, Simona Di Marcantonio, Deena Smith, and Ian Luby.

The data in this Annual Factoring Industry Survey presents results from a period that now seems like a distant memory. Sitting down to write commentary was very challenging. Commenting on the past year seemed moot; and attempting to correlate or speculate on the future of our industry seems a fools’ errand.

One thing to keep in mind is that receivables factoring is a an “all-seasons competitor” in the world of finance.  Factoring is a product that has been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and so I am confident that it, like our economy, will weather the current stormy global conditions stemming from the pandemic. In fact, it is more likely that the industry will grow and thrive during this time of stress and uncertainty. The very design and nature of accounts receivable factoring is ideally suited for providing liquidity to businesses in times of financial, operational stress and uneven cash flow.