Boise to Acquire Tharco Packaging
 Print this article | Send to Colleague
Boise Inc., Boise, Idaho, USA, and Tharco Packaging Inc., San Lorenzo, Calif., this week announced that their respective boards of directors have approved an agreement under which Tharco will be acquired from an investor group led by Tricor Pacific Capital Inc. The $200 million all-cash transaction will result in Tharco becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boise and is expected to close in early March.
Tharco offers an extensive range of corrugated products and services that complements and expands Boise's existing packaging business. For fiscal 2010, ended September 30, Tharco had revenue of $261 million and shipped 2.3 billion square feet of corrugated products.
"This step is consistent with our strategy to profitably grow our packaging business and create value for our shareholders and customers," said Alexander Toeldte, president and CEO of Boise. "Acquiring Tharco achieves several important goals: it expands our presence in packaging markets, which are growing long term, and is a good geographical fit, extending our reach from the Pacific Northwest to California, Colorado, Arizona, and Georgia. It is consistent with our goal to increase our containerboard integration with our downstream corrugated converting operations, increasing our integration to more than 85% from approximately 70% today. This reduces our exposure to export markets and enhances margins.
"When complete, we expect annualized synergies of approximately $8 million, achieved primarily through the increased integration," said Toeldte. "We anticipate these synergies will be fully realized in 18 months. The acquisition will be financed using cash on hand and existing revolver capacity, with no material change to our leverage profile. We expect the transaction to be accretive to our earnings in the first year."
Other benefits of the transaction include opportunities to profitably grow in adjacent packaging businesses, including stock boxes and multi-material engineered packaging solutions. "Tharco's established business and brands are well respected, profitable, and fit well with our existing businesses," Toeldte continued. "Tharco has an experienced management team, dedicated and engaged employees, and a proven track record."
Bo Fears, CEO of Tharco, pointed out that "Boise meets all of the criteria we would want in a parent company. We are pleased to join a successful, forward-thinking, and growing public company that is committed to the packaging industry."
Tharco employs approximately 900 people at 11 manufacturing and distribution facilities across the country.
|
|
