- Expansion of operational base beyond Germany's borders in core business
- Production reserves at Maarssen plant provide basis for substantial gains in value added
- Biegelaar and schlott gruppe can build on many years of cooperation
Freudenstadt, October 10 2006. In a separate ad hoc statement issued today, schlott gruppe announced its takeover of Dutch gravure printing company Biegelaar B.V. from bencis capital partners. Thus, the company continues its decisive approach of European expansion. In extending its portfolio of business locations to include Biegelaar's site in Maarssen, south of Amsterdam, schlott gruppe has further optimised its geographical positioning for the Northern and Western European markets, thus leveraging new growth potential.
Bernd Rose, CEO of schlott gruppe, underlines the significance of the latest acquisition: "Biegelaar has allowed us to close the gap in terms of our regional presence: in future we shall be able to reach a larger European customer base. In addition, we have now expanded our operational base beyond the borders of Germany. This represents another important milestone. We shall strengthen our market position thanks to our proven track record in corporate integration and the close rapport established with Biegelaar during many years of cooperation between both companies."
A company steeped in tradition, Biegelaar is currently ranked number two in the Dutch gravure printing market. For many years the company, established in 1905, was owned by Dutch media group De Telegraaf, which invested more than €50 million in today's Maarssen plant over the course of 2000 and 2001. In 2004, Biegelaar was taken over by Bencis Capital Partners.
Pursuing an incisive sales strategy, Biegelaar has managed to establish a formidable market position in recent years. One of its most lucrative features is its broad customer base, particularly in the magazine and the supplement segment. These sections are at Biegelaar characterised by long-term contractual agreements and thus a high degree of reliability in terms of operational planning. Furthermore, short time-to-market is a key to success within this area. Within this context, Biegelaar's production site in Maarssen will provide schlott gruppe with a significant competitive advantage for its activities in the Benelux region. The plant is geared to annual throughput volumes of 75,000 tonnes of paper and can thus draw on considerable reserves.
Heiko Arnold, CFO of schlott gruppe, describes the situation as follows: "Biegelaar has an outstanding reputation among its customers, both in terms of quality and flexibility. Together, we have the muscle to exploit our full market potential and use existing capacities. Furthermore, thanks to the proven and highly successful system of centralised capacity planning deployed by schlott gruppe, we will be able to optimise machine operating times and thus realise rationalisation potential. Thus, we can look forward to unlocking considerable potential for additional value added – for the purpose of further enhancing schlott gruppe and delivering tangible benefits to our shareholders."
Frank J. M. Verhoeven, CEO Biegelaar, adds: „We are very pleased to work in future with schlott gruppe in the market place. New horizons open up for our company as part of that truly international group. It is a particular strong motivation to explore those opportunities together with the highly esteemed management team of schlott gruppe.“
Robert van Nieuwkoop, partner of Bencis Capital Partners, is delighted that Biegelaar will become part of schlott gruppe: “By buying Biegelaar, we were able to isolate the company from the financial distress of its previous owner and were able to support the company in recovering its reputation and increasing its market position. The people at Biegelaar made a great effort during this period, focussing on clients and improving the operations. Selling Biegelaar now to one of the leading international printing houses, should be regarded as the ultimate reward for all the people involved.”
