UPM Raflatac to acquire Gascogne’s labelstock operations in Switzerland

Jun 01, 2012. /Lesprom Network/. UPM Raflatac has signed an agreement to acquire the business operations of Gascogne Laminates Switzerland SA. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The closing of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals, as the company said in a press release received by Lesprom Network. Gascogne Laminates Switzerland is the labelstock business of Gascogne Group, a major player in the French wood industry. Gascogne’s labelstock operations’ sales totaled Euro 44 million in 2011. The company employs approximately 110 persons in its factory in Martigny, Switzerland. “UPM Raflatac in Europe has focused in the past years especially in growth in special labelstock products. Gascogne Laminates has a strong and long-standing brand in this product area in Europe and through this acquisition we are proud to add those capabilities to our product platform. As a result of this transaction, customers will enjoy stronger speciality offering available through UPM Raflatac’s extensive distribution network,” says Tapio Kolunsarka, Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle-East and Africa. “We are pleased to reach an agreement with UPM Raflatac, which is one of the leading and most respected players in the labelstock market. We strongly believe that the combination of UPM Raflatac and Gascogne’s labelstock operations will result in strong benefits for all stakeholders. I take this opportunity to thank the Gascogne Laminates Switzerland teams for their professionalism and loyal support over the years," says Frédéric Doulcet, CEO of the Gascogne Group. Gascogne Group is a major player in the French wood industry, present at every stage in optimising the forest resource; it is the only French player fully integrated throughout the entire chain of the wood-paper-conversion sector. UPM Raflatac , part of UPM’s Engineered Materials business group, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of self-adhesive label materials.