Saica Group announced the acquisition of Schumacher Packaging‘s plants in Poland on October 31, 2024. This includes all of their activities in Poland: the Management Team, all Employees, two state-of-the-art corrugated board plants in Bydgoszcz and Wrocław, two paper mills in Grudziądz and Myszków, and three service centers. This operation has been authorized by the Polish Competition Authorities.
With the acquisition of Schumacher Packaging, the Saica Group is expanding its presence in Poland, where it employs more than 1,500 people. Thanks to this operation, Saica’s production capacity will increase by 420,000 tonnes of recycled paper for corrugated board, and the production capacity of corrugated board will increase by 530 million square meters.
The acquisition of Schumacher’s plants in Poland is not only in line with the Saica Group’s business development strategy but also represents a significant step in the development of infrastructures and services in Central and Eastern Europe. For the market, this means an enrichment of the offer of Polish plants in the field of paper solutions for the manufacture of corrugated board and packaging, as well as a strong desire to continue developing a business model based on the circular economy.
“We are very happy to integrate the Schumacher team into the Saica Group, their knowledge and skills are recognized in the sector. At Saica, it is the people who make the difference: they are the engine of our organization. We are convinced that they will contribute to the future and success of Saica,” explained Susana Alejandro, President and CEO of the Saica Group. “This operation is a very important step for us, it is a step forward in Saica’s growth strategy, not only by continuing our expansion in the Polish market, but also with the aim of further developing our infrastructures and services in Eastern Europe. It is part of the company’s development plans defined by Saica 2025, our strategic plan,” she concluded.
This acquisition is an opportunity for the Saica Group to continue its objective of developing local markets, getting closer to customers and offering them global solutions for all their paper and packaging needs.
Thanks to this operation, Saica’s recycled paper production capacity for corrugated board will increase by 420,000 tonnes, reaching 3.7 million tonnes of recycled paper. Saica also acquires, through this transaction, an additional corrugated board production capacity of 530 million square meters, thus strengthening its position as the leading supplier of corrugated board packaging on the Polish market.
Finally, the synergies created by these acquisitions, in the recycled paper and corrugated board sectors, will help Saica’s customers to adopt the principles of the circular economy.
In 2011, the Saica Group entered the Polish market through a joint venture with the Thimm group, acquiring a corrugated board packaging plant in Tychy, named TOP THIMM (with 51% of shares for Thimm and 49% for Saica). In 2022, the Saica Group acquired 76% of the shares of Fox Recykling, a waste management company in the city of Gdynia.