Business Management - M&A

New Direction Partners experts will present an update on current printing and packaging industry trends.

MBO Group is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Komori Corporation under the new company name MBO Postpress Solutions GmbH. The merger will allow Komori to provide solutions from start to finish and to extend its print solutions to a wider range of applications.

As of May 1, SGIA and PIA will officially unite in a merger of the two entities, which will bring resources and services together under one roof to best support future industry growth and longevity.

BOBST has acquired a majority participation of 51% in CITO-SYSTEM, a company that provides components for the converting and die-making industries with expertise in paper, cardboard, and corrugated board. The strategic investment is intended to drive innovation in tooling and in packaging production.

Just as the COVID-19 outbreak created financial uncertainty on Wall Street and on Main Street, it has also put a deep freeze on impending M&A mega-deals. The novel coronavirus has scuttled Xerox Holdings' $34.9 billion, $24 per share unsolicited, hostile takeover attempt of fellow printing industry icon HP Inc.

The Target Report is usually a gestalt of the prior month’s transactional activity. However, given the seismic nature of the current crisis, the rear view mirror is less useful, so we’ll depart from our usual style this month, look backwards just a bit, and offer our view through the front windshield.

Mesirow Financial acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Mac Papers in its sale to private investment firm Monomoy Capital Partners. Monomoy plans to invest significant capital into Mac Papers to facilitate and accelerate its continued growth.

Perhaps facing the "perfect storm" of a global pandemic outbreak; a U.S. stock market response to COVID-19 that has pummeled Xerox and HP stock prices; and Canon's announcement that it will sever business ties with HP if HP's merger with Xerox comes to fruition, Xerox finds itself in a precarious position.

Mesirow Financial acted as financial advisor to Quad/Graphics for the sale of its Omaha, Neb., packaging plant to Graphic Packaging Holding Company. This transaction is one of 125 within the paper, plastics, packaging, and speciality papers sectors that Mesirow Financial has facilitated.

The Welch Packaging Group acquired PAX Corrugated Products from Georgia-Pacific amid a trend of the company making corrugated acquisitions. This supports the trend of regional companies leapfrogging to an adjacent metro market via a series of strategically sound acquisitions.