Tosetto, Weigmann e Associati in Turin and Machado Associados - Advogados e Consultores in São Paulo have helped Italian cement company Buzzi Unicem enter Brazil by acquiring a 50% stake in a Latin American counterpart for 700 million Brazilian reais (US$171 million).

The target company and cement maker BCPAR, and its minority shareholders BNDESPAR and FIP MPlus relied on in-house counsel. BCPAR's other shareholder, cement company Brennand Cimentos, relied on Pinheiro Neto Advogados in São Paulo.

The deal was signed on 5 September. The acquisition is subject to approval from certain current lenders of BCPAR and is expected to close by the end of 2018.

If approved, Buzzi Unicem will acquire all the shares in BCPAR currently held by BNDESPAR and FIP MPlus. Brennand Cimentos retains ownership of the remaining 50%. Both shareholders will co-manage BCPAR, but there will be a put and call option in place whereby Buzzi Unicem will have the option of obtaining Brennand Cimentos' 50% stake at a later date.

BCPAR operates two cement plants in Brazil, in the north-eastern state of Paraíba and in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais.

Buzzi Unicem's only other presence in Latin America is in Mexico, where it has operated through its affiliate Corporación Moctezuma, which it jointly owns with Spain's Cementos Molins, since 1981.

Counsel to Buzzi Unicem

Tosetto, Weigmann e Associati

Partner Andrea Lanciani and associate Federico Benincasa in Turin

Machado Associados - Advogados e Consultores

Partner Luciana Felisbino and associates Caetano Thomaz Fernandes Antunes, Iva Maria Souza Bueno and Rafaela Scorza de Almeida Castro in São Paulo

Counsel to Brennand Cimentos

In-house counsel - Horácio Mendonça, Maria Eduarda Serrano de Farias Rocha and Pedro Henrique de Souza Barbosa Oliveira

Pinheiro Neto Advogados

Partner Álvaro Uliani M. dos Santos and associates Beatriz Seixas, Gabriella Lima Florner and Giovana Silva in São Paulo

Counsel to BNDESPAR

In-house counsel - Roberto Trindade and Mariana Weguelin

Counsel to FIP MPlus

In-house counsel - Carolina Hernandes Pagani Ferreira and Andirá Cristina Cassoli Zabin Bonini.