One Equity Partners Europe GmbH: One Equity Partners Acquires Walki, A Leading Producer Of Technical Laminates And Protective Packaging Materials

Strategic Platform to Leverage Transformational Acquisition Strategy in Fragmented Market

FRANKFURT/HELSINKI / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2018 / One Equity Partners, a middle market private equity firm, today announced that it has entered into agreements to acquire Walki Group (“Walki”) from CapMan Buyout, a part of CapMan Group (HELSINKI: CAPMAN.HE), a leading Nordic private asset expert. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval, and is expected to be closed in the third quarter of 2018. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

Walki is a leading producer of technical laminates and protective packaging materials, specializing in the production of fibre based, intelligent, multi-layer laminate products for markets as diverse as energy saving construction facings to consumer packaging. The group is headquartered in Finland with nine production sites across Europe and one in China. In 2017, Walki generated revenues of EUR 318 million.

“One Equity Partners is an experienced investor in the packaging industry with a number of successful former investments. With top positions in all of its three business areas Construction, Consumer and Industrial, Walki is poised for future growth. With this acquisition, we leverage our expertise in the industry and form a powerful platform for buy-and-build opportunities in an attractive market”, said Johann-Melchior von Peter, Senior Managing Director at One Equity Partners.

“During CapMan’s ownership period Walki has successfully executed its growth strategy, both organically and through acquisitions. I am convinced that an international private equity player like One Equity Partners with experience from the packaging sector is the right partner for supporting the growth of Walki in the future,” said Anders Björkell, Partner at CapMan Buyout.

“With our strong customer base, our production platform in close proximity to our customers and our balanced business portfolio, we have laid the foundations for Walki’s continued success. We look forward to working with One Equity Partners to put our ambitious growth plans into action,” said Leif Frilund, CEO of Walki Group.

About One Equity Partners
OEP is a middle-market private equity firm focused on the industrial, healthcare, and technology sectors in North America and Europe. The firm builds market-leading companies by identifying and executing transformative business combinations. OEP is a trusted partner with a differentiated investment process, a broad and senior team, and an extensive track record generating long-term value for its partners. Since 2001, the firm has completed more than 150 transactions worldwide. OEP, founded in 2001, spun out of JP Morgan in 2015. The firm has offices in New York, Chicago, and Frankfurt. For more information, please visit www.oneequity.com.

About Walki
Walki Group is a leading, international producer of technical laminates and protective packaging materials, specializing in the production of fibre based, intelligent, multilaminate products for markets as diverse as energy saving facings and construction membranes to barrier packaging applications. Walki’s production facilities are located in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK, Russia and China. To best cater to global customers, Walki aims to continue investing in state-of-the-art production facilities and promoting the tradition of innovation and exceptional service worldwide. Walki’s annual net sales amount to about 300 million Euros and with a workforce of about 900 people.
For more information visit www.walki.com.

About CapMan
CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value-creation in its target companies and assets. CapMan offers a wide selection of investment products and services. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers, CapMan has developed hundreds of companies and real estate and created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the last 28 years. Today CapMan consists of 118 private equity professionals and manages approximately EUR2.8 billion in assets under management. CapMan’s current investment strategies cover Real Estate, Buyout, Russia, Credit, Growth Equity and Infrastructure, with a growing service business that currently includes procurement services (CaPS), fundraising advisory (Scala Fund Advisory), and fund management services.
For more information visit www.capman.com.

Press contact for One Equity Partners:
Norbert Selle
CNC Communications & Network Consulting AG
Mobile: +49 175 180 5982
E-mail: oep@cnc-communications.com

Press contact for CapMan:
Anders Björkell, Partner
CapMan Buyout
Tel: +358 40 537 7566
E-mail: anders.bjorkell@capman.com

Press contact for Walki:
Leif Frilund
President and CEO
Tel: +358 403543330
Email: leif.frilund@walki.com

SOURCE: One Equity Partners

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