Packaging is everything

“Revelation through concealment” was a phrase once used to describe the form of art created by Christo. It’s a phrase that also aptly describes the work of the global packaging industry, because for many customers, packaging with visual and tactile appeal is one of the crucial sales criteria at the point of sale. One of the biggest players in this market is the Mondi Group. The company is split into two large divisions, Europe & International and South Africa, based respectively in London and Johannesburg. The South Africa division primarily handles the manufacture of pulp, uncoated fine paper, containerboard and newsprint, while the plants of the Europe & International division deal with packaging paper, fibre packaging, consumer packaging and uncoated fine paper. The Mondi Group currently operates production plants in 30 countries worldwide and employs around 25 700 people. Its products are manufactured in 13 factories across the globe. According to Mondi, its focus is primarily on countries in central Europe, Russia, America and South Africa.

Acquisition of Nordenia
The company made news when it bought the global operations of Westphalian film packaging manufacturer Nordenia in 2012. Mondi paid € 638 mio for 93 per cent of the shares to financial investor Oaktree. According to media reports, the South Africans paid € 240 mio in cash and took over € 398 mio in liabilities from Nordenia. It is an investment that has paid off, with Mondi reportedly getting revenues of € 6.5 bn and a return on capital employed (ROCE) of 15.3 per cent in 2013. Consumer packaging products, including packaging products for the pet supplies industry, account for 18 per cent of overall sales, with sales of these running at € 1.15 bn. Packaging paper products accounted for a share of 23 per cent in 2013 at € 1.48 bn. Uncoated fine paper products brought in € 1.28 bn in 2013, accounting for 20 per cent of overall sales, but top spot in the sales rankings is taken by fibre packaging products with sales of € 1.89 bn and a share of 29 per cent. For the pet supplies industry the plant in Steinfeld, Germany is important; this is where 148 Mondi employees produce around 220 mio items of packaging per year on 16 installations. 90 per cent of these…