NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) today announced that Platts, a McGraw-Hill division and leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals and metals information, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kingsman SA, a privately-held, Switzerland-based provider of price information and analytics for the global sugar and biofuels markets.  The acquisition, whose purchase price was not disclosed, is expected to close on November 1, subject to customary closing conditions.  

"McGraw-Hill is pleased to add Kingsman to our wonderful stable of world-class businesses," said Harold McGraw III, chairman, president and chief executive officer for The McGraw-Hill Companies.  "As we move to separate our education company from our financial and commodities intelligence businesses at the end of the year, this acquisition strengthens our leading position as providers of essential intelligence in the capital and commodity markets."

"Kingsman is widely recognized as the leading global brand for sugar market data and analytics," said Larry Neal, president of Platts. "Our acquisition of Kingsman deepens Platts' capabilities in biofuels and gives us a springboard for growth in the global agricultural markets.  It also reinforces our commitment to becoming a leader in market analytics as well as news and price information."

Neal noted that agriculture is a large, complex global commodity market similar to other markets that Platts serves. "It requires the level of pricing expertise that Platts can uniquely offer," he said, "and, with its broad range of sub-sectors, it presents multiple opportunities for Platts to develop benchmarks that support market evolution and enhance price transparency."

Founded in 1990 and based in Lausanne, Kingsman employs analysts, researchers and report writers in key markets including London, Montreal, New Delhi and Sao Paulo.  It serves a global clientele of producers, traders, refiners, financial institutions and end-users, offering a variety of subscription publications covering sugar, ethanol and biodiesel.  With its prime focus on market analysis, supply and demand fundamentals and trade flows, Kingsman complements Platts' long-standing expertise in reporting news, assessing prices and explaining the factors driving those prices. 

"This is a great move for Kingsman.  We will benefit from the strong market position Platts enjoys across a wide range of commodities, the broad operational footprint it has around the world, and its cohesive global sales force.  These strengths will enable Kingsman to better serve customers and more quickly expand its business globally," said Jonathan Kingsman, the company's founder.  "Most notably," he added, "Platts' technology capabilities will enable Kingsman to provide new market data services and expanded web offerings."

Platts and Kingsman provide complementary biofuels services covering Asia, Europe and the Americas. Platts has covered the biofuels market for many years with news and prices featured in its oil and petrochemicals information services.  Recently, Platts launched a portfolio of dedicated biofuels information products, including a newsletter, a real-time alert and market data package.  Kingsman, whose business originally focused on the sugar markets, moved into the adjacent ethanol and biodiesel sectors as alternative green fuels were developed in the early 2000s.  It currently offers a range of daily, weekly and monthly reports covering ethanol and biodiesel as well as sugar.

About Platts: Founded in 1909, Platts is a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals and metals intelligence and a premier source of benchmark prices for the physical and futures markets. Platts' news, pricing, analytics, commentary and conferences help customers make better-informed trading and business decisions and help the markets operate with greater transparency and efficiency. Customers in more than 150 countries benefit from Platts' coverage of the carbon emissions, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas, metals, nuclear power, petrochemical, and shipping markets. A division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Platts is headquartered in New York with approximately 900 employees in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at www.platts.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, J.D. Power and Associates and Platts, a leader in commodities information.  With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

Contacts:

Investor Relations:
Chip Merritt, Vice President, Investor Relations
(212) 512-4321 (office)
chip_merritt@mcgraw-hill.com

News Media:
Patti Rockenwagner, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications
McGraw-Hill
(212) 512-3533 (office)
patti_rockenwagner@mcgraw-hill.com

Kathleen Tanzy, Director, Communications
Platts
+1 917-331-4607 cellular
+1 212-904-2860 office
kathleen_tanzy@platts.com  

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies