Acquisitions

Strategic acquisition in France for the Smurfit Kappa group

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The Smurfit Kappa Group  has expanded its own range of products in the French market with the acquisition of Papcart, a company specialising in offset printing and in processing consumer packaging in cardboard and corrugated cardboard.

The acquisition allows Smurfit Kappa to expand its own portfolio with a full range for luxury goods, wines and spirits, FMCG and bag-in-box markets. This will be based on the already strong presence of the group in the packaging sectors for consumer markets and solutions in corrugated cardboard for perfumes and foods.

Founded more than 70 years ago, Papcart has the latest generation of offset printers, die-cutting equipment, gluers and finishing machines and offers the widest range of finishes required for gift and high quality packaging. It combines acrylic or UV inks, special paints, hot and cold gilding, embossing and lamination to meet even the most complex requirements of clients. The company employs 200 people on two sites (Gétigné in Loire-Atlantique and Jarnac in Charente) and has a turnover of about 50 million euros. In addition to the current locations of Tours sur Marne, Siemco and Colorys, Smurfit Kappa today has about 700 employees, including a design department with 40 people, to develop customised, sustainable consumer packaging for its own clients in the luxury goods and consumer goods sectors.

«This latest acquisition», explains Saverio Mayer, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Europe, «has a significant strategic importance for our operations in France and considerably expands what we can offer our clients», he added: «We are delighted to welcome the Papcart employees into our company», says Jean-Christophe Bugeon, CEO of Smurfit Kappa France. «An increasing number of companies are looking for more sustainable alternatives for packaging and we can add a still wider choice of premium solutions to what we are offering. This acquisition is a very important addition and it is also a sign of Smurfit Kappa’s wish to invest heavily in France». For the group, founded in Ireland in 1934, and established in France in 1994, it is a large acquisition and reflects «a very favourable dynamic for France», concludes Bugeon, who also reminds us how, in 2018, Smurfit Kappa had already invested almost 80 million euros in new equipment for its locations across the Alps.

Green light for the acquisition of FHB and Avala Ada by Smurfit Kappa Group

Smurfit Kappa can acquire the Serbian companies Fabrika Hartije Beograd (FHB) and Avala Ada,both with headquarters in a Belgrade. Before the end of 2018 the national Serbian competition Commission announced approval for the acquisition, which can now proceed in accelerated mode. FHB and Avala Ada together form part of the Serbian-Cypriot group Kappa Star Limited. The paper manufacturer, FHB, runs a machine for 5 m recycled corrugated cardboard, with a manufacturing capacity of 120 thousand tonnes a year. Avala Ada manufactures corrugated cardboard and packaging and has a manufacturing capacity of 110 million m². Both companies are considered leading suppliers in their respective market segments.