Spanish paper and packaging manufacturer Saica is to acquire the German Thimm Group. The operation brings together two family-owned groups active in corrugated board and displays, with a presence now extended from Spain to Eastern Europe.
Founded in 1949 by Walter Felix Thimm, Thimm employs around 2âeuros500 people at eleven sites in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and in France with Christiansen Print Garancières located at Garancières-en-Beauce in Eure-et-Loir. The group has a production capacity of 1.2 billion square meters of corrugated board packaging. In 2024, Thimm achieved sales of around 539 million euros.
Faced with a highly competitive market, the owner family chose to sell the company to the Spanish group, with which it had already been working since the late 1990s through a commercial alliance and a joint venture in Poland. "We are convinced that, in a highly competitive market, only a small number of major players will be able to gain market share in the future." explains Mathias Schliep, Chairman of Thimm's Board of Directors.
Based in Zaragoza in north-eastern Spain, Saica, founded in 1943, is one of Europe's leading producers of recycled paper and packaging. The family-owned group, which employs 12,000 people, is expected to generate sales of almost 4 billion euros by 2025.
Through four divisions (recycled paper, waste management, corrugated board and flexible packaging), Saica operates 112 sites in Western Europe, Poland and the United States.
"Thimm brings strong regional capabilities and a customer-focused approach to markets where Saica was not previously present. With Thimm, we see significant potential to further strengthen our leadership position in the highly competitive European market." explains Susana Alejandro, President and CEO of the Saica Group.
"The two companies' sites complement each other perfectlyâeuros; together, we cover the whole of Europe" emphasizes Mathias Schliep.
Thimm's activities will be maintained within existing structures, and the Thimm family will withdraw entirely from the capital once the transaction is finalized.
