Mezzanine Management backs Akomex for next stage of growth
AMC Capital IV S.c.Sp., advised by Mezzanine Management, is supporting the acquisition of leading Polish packaging business Akomex Group from incumbent financial backer Highlander Partners.
AMC Capital IV S.c.Sp., advised by Mezzanine Management, is supporting the acquisition of leading Polish packaging business Akomex Group from incumbent financial backer Highlander Partners.
Founded in 1993, Akomex specializes in cardboard packaging for the pharmaceutical and food sector. The firm employs nearly 600 highly qualified people across its two production plants in Poland and converting site in Denmark, producing over 1.8 billion packaging units per year. The firm has grown organically as well as acquisitively, having acquired DrukPak in Poland and PlanoPack in Denmark in 2014 and 2018 respectively, and today the group generates revenues of over PLN 200 million per annum.
AMC IV is supporting the deal alongside Akomex co-founder and minority shareholder Sebastian Śliwa as well as a group of managers, who will collectively hold a 69.5% share of the business. The acquisition is subject to approval from the Polish antimonopoly agency (UOKiK) as well as fulfilment of the conditions precedent specified in the deal agreement.
Piotr Sadowski, Partner at Mezzanine Management, said: “Akomex’s achievements to-date have provided it with a solid foundation for a promising future of enhanced growth. We look forward to supporting management as it strengthens its position and expands in domestic as well as foreign markets. A significant increase in production capacity and expansion of the pharmaceutical packaging plant in Aleksandrów Kujawski is already on the cards and will contribute greatly to this."
Sebastian Śliwa, co-founder and chairman of the Supervisory Board of Akomex, commented: "The backing of an investor as experienced as Mezzanine Management will allow us to accelerate our growth and provide even better products and services for the largest global pharmaceutical and food manufacturers. We are grateful to Highlander Partners for their strong support since 2010, which helped make Akomex the leader in its field, and look forward to more strong growth under our new structure."
Grzegorz Łajca, President of the Management Board of Akomex Group, added: "The success of the Akomex Group is based on a consistent strategy of focusing on long-term development. The Group’s professional and dedicated staff together with loyal customers have been behind this, and we know that the support from our new shareholders will increase the pace of our development, both in domestic and foreign markets."
Mezzanine Management is currently investing from Accession Mezzanine Capital IV, which closed on €264 million in 2018 and is the firm’s largest vehicle to-date. The firm is adding a direct lending strategy to its regional private debt platform to address the growing yet underserved opportunity in its core market of Central Europe.
Mezzanine Management is the exclusive advisor to the Accession Mezzanine Capital group of funds, whose total investments exceed €700m. Mezzanine Management has been operating in Central and Eastern Europe since 2000 through its offices in Vienna, Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest and Prague. The funds’ investment portfolio is diverse, with more than 50 transactions across 12 countries in CEE. The funds are backed by reputable institutional investors, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Fund and a number of banks, funds of funds, pension funds and insurance companies.
Highlander Partners LP is a Dallas-based private investment firm with over $2 billion of assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience, including basic manufacturing, food, chemicals, building materials, consumer products, and others. Highlander Partners uses a “buy and build” investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com.
For further information, please contact:
Piotr Sadowski, Partner tel.: +48 22 654 6415
Christian Stix, Head of Investor Relations tel.: +43 1 532 89 9019