It was recently announced that effective July 22 Willkie client WEBER-HYDRAULIK, a leading international provider of customized hydraulic drive and control engineering solutions, acquired U.S.-based Hyco International Inc. from U.S. financial investor Centre Partners Management LLC. Hyco International Inc. is a global supplier of hydraulic cylinders with manufacturing locations in Canada, the United States, Brazil and Germany. With 600 employees and an annual turnover of approximately €100 million, HYCO’s products are used in forestry and construction machinery, refuse handling equipment, dump trucks, oil and gas field installations and cranes, as well as mining and agricultural equipment.

Shearman & Sterling is representing Simcere Pharmaceutical Group in its establishment of a strategic partnership with Merck & Co., Inc., acting through an affiliate and known as Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. outside the United States and Canada, focused on providing significantly improved access to quality medicines in major therapeutic areas in China. The partnership includes an equity joint venture that will be owned 51% by an affiliate of Merck and 49% by Simcere or one of its affiliates.

Shearman & Sterling is representing Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana (Grupo Sura) in its acquisition of ING’s Latin American pensions, life insurance and investment management operations in a transaction valued at approximately $3.8 billion.

Herbert Smith and its associated Indonesian law firm Hiswara Bunjamin & Tandjung (HBT) have advised eForce Holdings Limited (“eForce”; stock code: 0943.HK) on a very substantial acquisition of Fastport Investments Holdings Limited (“Fastport”) that indirectly holds a mining concession right over the PT Bara coal mine, located near the town of Ampah in Indonesia.

The Firm represented the underwriters, led by Barclays Capital, Citi, BofA Merrill Lynch and Goldman, Sachs, in a public offering of $350 million principal amount of 1.125% Notes due 2014 and $650 million principal amount of Floating Rate Notes due 2014 of Target Corporation.

Baker & McKenzie announced today that it has acted as US, English and Ukrainian law counsel to the City of Kyiv on its offering of USD300 million loan participation notes.

Shearman & Sterling is representing longstanding client The Dow Chemical Company in its joint venture with Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) to build a $20 billion petrochemical plant at the Persian Gulf port of Jubail.

Davis Polk is advising Murphy Oil Corporation in connection with the sale by its wholly owned subsidiary, Murphy Oil USA, Inc., of its refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, and related assets, to Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. for a sales price of $214 million plus the value of hydrocarbon inventory, and subject to certain other adjustments. The hydrocarbon inventory will be valued based on market prices at closing (the inventory was valued at approximately $260 million as of June 30, 2011). The transaction, which is expected to close later in the third quarter or fourth quarter of 2011, is subject to customary regulatory approvals and conditions.

Simmons & Simmons is advising Rothschild as joint sponsor and financial adviser and Evolution Securities and Peel Hunt as joint sponsors and brokers to Wichford P.L.C (“Wichford”) on the £208.7 million acquisition of Redefine International plc (“Redefine”) by Wichford, and the listing of the enlarged property investment company on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

Simmons & Simmons has advised Kentz Corporation Limited, the holding company of the Kentz engineering and construction group, on the listing of its ordinary shares on the Official List of the UK Listing Authority with a premium listing and admission to trading on the London Stock Exchange plc’s main market for listed securities.