The German group DEGUSSA AG (annual global turnover of EUR 14 billion), which will be born at the start of 2001 from the merger between DEGUSSA-HEULS and SKW-TROSTBERG, launched a friendly take-over bid on the British LAPORT turnover of GBP 930 million in 1999 with 2,300 employees. DEGUSSA is proposing 697 pence per LAPORT share (turnover of GBP 904 million in 1999 with 2,000), valuing the group at EUR 2,258 billion. Thanks to this operation, DEGUSSA will claim the second place in the world...