Kontron Board Advises Shareholders to Reject Takeover; Hanbell Chairman: Plans Unchanged, Cooperation to Deepen

Regarding the Kontron board's recommendation for shareholders to reject Hanbell's (6414-TW) mandatory takeover offer, Hanbell Chairman Zhu Fuquan stated today (10th) that the company will continue to deepen cooperation with Kontron, and the acquisition offer will proceed as planned. The specific progress will depend on market conditions and Kontron's stock price movement.

Hanbell triggered the mandatory public tender offer requirement under German securities law after its stake in Kontron exceeded 30%. The board resolved to acquire Kontron shares at €23.50 per share in cash to integrate global operations, with completion expected by the end of August 2026.

Recently, the Kontron board issued a recommendation stating that the offer price is €0.26 lower than the average stock price over the past twelve months and significantly below the analysts' recently published average target price of €30.29. Therefore, it advised shareholders not to accept Hanbell's mandatory takeover offer.

However, Kontron also released a statement clarifying that this recommendation does not contradict its desire to further strengthen the strategic relationship with Hanbell. The collaboration between the two companies remains highly cooperative, constructive, and mutually beneficial.

Chairman Zhu emphasized that Hanbell's investment in Kontron is a significant long-term strategic equity investment, expected to bring substantial opportunities for both parties, particularly in the field of embodied AI applications. Kontron's products, technologies, and engineering expertise are anticipated to play a crucial role in accelerating innovation and the growth of embodied AI.

Hanbell and Kontron will continue their long-standing, solid partnership under the principle of 'One Team, One Family,' delivering comprehensive AI + IoT integrated solutions through 'hardware-software convergence' and 'smart value addition.' The two companies will demonstrate strong synergies through deep integration in three key areas: technological collaboration, product integration, and market focus.