Kalle acquires Jif-Pak

Kalle, a global leader in the production of artificial sausage casings, backed in 2009 by European private equity firm Silverfleet Capital in €212.5 million deal, has acquired Jif-Pak Inc a US based producer of innovative meat nettings and casings in a transaction funded entirely by existing cash and a new debt facility.

Like Kalle, Jif-Pak is an innovator in its sector. The company is known for defining and transforming production procedures, in particularly for cooked hams, through the development of ground breaking products that increase its clients’ efficiency and the level of automation used.

Guido May, the partner at Silverfleet Capital responsible for Kalle said: “The acquisition of Jif-Pak broadens Kalle’s product range and significantly increases the scale of its operations’ in the USA. Through buy and build Kalle is consolidating its position as the most innovative casing and netting manufacturer in the world. The company has also been able to make this acquisition using an additional bank facility and cash generated since the buyout in 2009.”

Dr. Walter Niederstätter, CEO of Kalle, said: “We acquire with Jif-Pak a company which fits ideally with Kalle. Both companies have the same fundamental business strategy in which customer orientation and innovation plays a leading role. With the combined product portfolio we are able to offer our customers a highly attractive, innovative and broad range of products.”

Based in Vista, California, Jif-Pak Manufacturing Inc. operates from a 75,000 square-foot manufacturing facility and supplies many of the largest meat and poultry manufacturers in the USA and around the world.

Headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, Kalle is one of the top five global producers of artificial casings for sausages with very strong market positions in the viscose, textile and plastic product areas. The business has invested heavily in new product development and in establishing its own manufacturing facility in the USA, the world’s largest market for artificial casings.