Global, March 1, 2010 - Baker & McKenzie represented Bemis Company, Inc. (NYSE: BMS) in its acquisition of the Food Americas operations of Alcan Packaging, a business unit of Rio Tinto plc (LON: RIO; ASX: RIO) that was completed today. Under the terms of the $1.2 billion transaction, Bemis acquired 23 Food Americas flexible packaging facilities in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and New Zealand which recorded 2009 net sales totalling $1.4 billion. These facilities produce flexible packaging principally for the food and beverage industries and will augment Bemis’ product offerings and technological capabilities.
Under the terms of an order signed by the US District Court for the District of Columbia on February 25, 2010, two of these facilities, located in Menasha, Wisconsin and Tulsa, Oklahoma, must be divested. The 2009 net sales associated with the facilities to be sold was approximately $100 million.
The Firm’s global M&A team was led by corporate partner Dieter Schmitz (Chicago) with assistance from corporate partners Stephen Griesemer (Chicago), Edward Harrison (Chicago), Jane Hobson (London), Andres Ochoa-Bunsow (Monterrey), Alberto Mori (Sao Paulo) and Nurhan Aycan (Toronto).
“We are grateful to advise Bemis, and congratulate the company on completing this significant cross-border acquisition,” said Schmitz.
Bemis Company is a major supplier of flexible packaging and pressure sensitive materials used by leading food, consumer products, manufacturing, and other companies worldwide. Its headquarters is in Neenah, Wisconsin. More information is available at
www.bemis.com.
Alcan Packaging, a business unit of international mining group Rio Tinto Plc, is a global specialty packaging provider for the food, pharmaceutical, beauty and tobacco industries. Its headquarters is in Paris, France, and Alcan Packaging’s Food Americas division is based in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, please visit
www.alcanpackagingfood.com.