Thimm Verpackung, Saica's acquisition of TOP corrugated board plant in Tychy, Poland, completed with Polish anti-monopoly office approval

Kendall Sinclair

NORTHEIM, Germany , October 4, 2011 (press release) – The Polish anti-monopoly office has approved the acquisition of the TOP corrugated cardboard plant in Tychy, southern Poland, by German-based Thimm Verpackung and Spanish-based Saica. The transaction has now been successfully completed. Jens Fokuhl, Managing Director at the Thimm Group, confirms the takeover: “We officially put the plant into operation on October 3. For us and our partner, Saica, this acquisition is the first step to serve major international clients also in Poland in the future. At the same time, the investment allows us to enter the attractive Polish market with its very interesting, local clients.” Fokuhl does not rule out a gradual expansion in Poland to include other locations over the next few years.

Fokuhl continues: “We are planning to increase capacity at the plant first, from the current 60 million square metres to 150. We intend to replace the corrugator and then make the necessary adjustment to processing capacities. We wish to invest a total of around 20 million euros in the location over the next three to five years.

The plant specialises in different types of lightweight, high-quality printed corrugated cardboard and therefore clearly focuses on manufactures of so-called fast moving consumer goods in their approach to market. The company will appear under the name TOP Packaging locally. “We have decided to keep the brand name TOP as it is well established in Poland. We have also added the word ‘Packaging’ to highlight our international focus for the future.”

Thimm will be responsible for operational management at the corrugated cardboard plant, the location of which is ideal for integration into the current production network from both a geographical and technical perspective. Thanks to the creation of its own locations in the Czech Republic and Romania, Thimm has gained many years’ experience in Central and Eastern Europe. Saica will be represented on the Polish company’s supervisory board, while also contributing its technology and materials expertise to the joint venture.

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