OREANDA-NEWS. Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (“NSSMC”) and Sumitomo Pipe & Tube Co., Ltd. (“SPT”) resolved, at a meeting of each respective company’s board of directors held, to conduct a share exchange effective as of August 1, 2013, in which NSSMC will be a wholly-owning parent company and SPT will be a wholly-owned subsidiary, and, to such effect, NSSMC and SPT have executed a share exchange agreement (the “Share Exchange Agreement”).

Prior to the effective date of the Share Exchange, common shares of SPT are scheduled to be delisted as of July 29, 2013, from the first section of the Tokyo stock exchange (the “Tokyo Stock Exchange”) (the last trading date will be July 26, 2013).

Furthermore, NSSMC, SPT and Nittetsu Steel Pipe Co., Ltd. (“NSP”) have reached a basic agreement, that, with the aim of further increasing the competitiveness of the businesses, after the Share Exchange becomes effective, the electric resistance-welded tube businesses for mechanical structures and general structures, etc., which NSSMC, SPT and NSP operate (the “Electric Resistance-Welded Tube Business”) will be reorganized, focusing on the merger of SPT and NSP (the “Merger”) effective as of October 1, 2013, and, as such, NSSMC, SPT and NSP executed the basic agreement today.