Mondi to Acquire Western Europe Packaging Assets of Schumacher Packaging

Oct. 9, 2024 - Mondi today announces that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the German, Benelux and UK corrugated converting and solid board operations of Schumacher Packaging¹.

The enterprise value of the deal is EUR 634 million, to be financed from existing facilities, Mondi said.

This acquisition will expand Mondi's corrugated footprint in Western Europe and add complementary fibre-based products, focused on eCommerce and FMCG, to enhance its existing customer offering.

In a written statement, Mondi said, "Today's announcement is in line with Mondi's strategy to expand its Corrugated Packaging business in Europe and adjacent markets; to invest in cost advantaged assets; to further integrate upstream and downstream operations to ensure security of supply for customers and optimized operations, and to continue to partner with customers to deliver innovative solutions."

The acquisition comprises seven corrugated converting plants, two solid board mills and four solid board converting plants. These operations complement Mondi's existing network of corrugated plants across Central and Eastern Europe, adding over 1 billion square meters of capacity when fully operational.

Among the acquired sites are two state-of-the-art mega-box plants in Germany, located at Ebersdorf and Greven, which have best-in-class production speed and operational efficiency as well as a highly skilled workforce with a culture aligned with Mondi's.

In 2023, Schumacher Packaging's Western European Packaging Assets delivered an adjusted EBITDA of EUR 66 million. The EBITDA contribution is expected to increase as the recently added capacity at Greven, following a significant investment program, ramps up, and the identified EUR 22 million of cost synergies are realized over the three years following completion. This excludes expected one-off cash costs to achieve of approximately EUR 18 million.

Commenting on the acquisition, Andrew King, Mondi Group CEO, said, "Our focus is on investing to meet the growing market demand for sustainable packaging while driving value for our stakeholders. This acquisition significantly increases our corrugated converting capacity, extends our reach across Western Europe, and offers strong downstream integration opportunities, while broadening our customer offering with a complementary fibre-based product range."

Bjoern Schumacher and Hendrik Schumacher, co-CEOs of Schumacher Packaging, who have been instrumental in the development of the business over many years, will be retained, respectively, as a strategic adviser and as Chief Operating Officer Solid Board.

The transaction, which is subject to certain customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the first half of 2025.

¹Corrugated converting sites include Bielefeld, Ebersdorf, Greven, Lehrte, Sonneberg, in Germany; Breda in the Netherlands; and Birmingham in the UK. Solid Board mills at Kaierde and Schwarzenberg with conversion sites at Hauenstein, Forchheim, Schwarzenberg and Leipzig-Land (all Germany).

Mondi is a global leader in packaging and paper, contributing to a better world by producing products that are sustainable by design.

SOURCE: Mondi