Nissha Printing buys AR Metallizing

AR Metallizing was a portfolio company of H.I.G. Europe, itself an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital. It is the world’s largest provider of metallized paper for multiple packaging types, and benefits from the growing demand for differentiated, sustainable and recyclable packaging applications from the world’s largest consumer brands. AR Metallizing operates state-of-the-art facilities in Europe and the USA, providing it with the scale and manufacturing flexibility to serve customers in over 80 countries. The acquisition also includes subsidiary operations in Italy and Brazil.

Nissha is a listed Japan-based printing technologies company which operates in the industrial materials, devices, life innovation, and information and communication sectors in Japan and internationally. The company’s industrial materials segment offers in-mold decoration. The devices segment is involved in the design, development and sale of input devices.  The life innovation business aims to contribute to safe, secure and healthy lifestyles worldwide, while the information and communication business provides media services that support general communication strategies.

The introduction of metallized paper to its industrial materials business will enable it to ‘capture product categories and sales channels, such as beverages, food and consumer products in the global market’. Moving forward, Nissha Printing said it will use the tangible and intangible assets of AR Metallizing, while also combining them with the assets and technologies of its industrial materials business, with the intent of ‘creating new product line-ups and market value’.

Harris Williams & Co was the exclusive advisor to AR Metallizing, and the cross-border transaction was led by Patrick McNulty, Darwin Olympia, Brad Morrison and Brandt Carr of Harris Williams & Co’s Industrials Group in Richmond, Virginia, and Ben Lewis and Kunal Kalra of the firm’s Industrials Group in London.

‘AR Metallizing’s market leadership within the metallized paper sector provides it with tremendous opportunities to accelerate growth from its partnership with Nissha,’ said McNulty, a managing director in Harris Williams & Co Industrials Group.

‘The sale of a European headquartered packaging business with significant US revenues to an Asian strategic buyer demonstrates Harris Williams & Co’s broad international reach and deep sub-sector expertise,’ added Lewis, a vice president in its London office.