Walki (Espoo, Finland; www.walki.com) continues to grow, with the Finnish manufacturer of film for packaging and construction signing an agreement to buy German packaging manufacturer Folian (Gross Lüdershagen; www.folian.com). Financial details were not disclosed.

“With this acquisition we are strengthening our presence in the Central European market,” Walki CEO Leif Frilund said.

The German family business, which most recently reported sales of EUR 27 mn with 94 employees, makes flexible packaging for food and finishes its products with flexographic printing. Cofounders and managing directors Stefan Muschter and Manuela Muschter are to retain their positions after the transaction.

Folian is to become part of the Walki’s global consumer packaging division, one of three business areas alongside industrial packaging and engineered materials. The group employs more than 1,600 people worldwide at its 17 production sites and expects sales of around EUR 700 mn for this year versus EUR 550 mn in 2021.

In August, Walki announced plans to buy Finnish packaging manufacturers Westpak (Säkylä; www.westpak.fi) and Flexipack (Vaasa; www.flexipack.fi – see Plasteurope.com of 11.08.2022).

Last year, Walki said it would purchase a majority stake in the Spanish food packaging manufacturer Plasbel Plásticos (Murcia; www.plasbel.com – see Plasteurope.com of 05.05.2021).

In 2019, the Scandinavian processor announced plans to take over Finnish packaging manufacturer Plastiroll (Ylöjärvi; www.plastiroll.fi), and a few weeks later expressed its intent to buy a business unit specialising in extrusion coatings from South African packaging group Mondi (Johannesburg; www.mondigroup.com – see Plasteurope.com of 28.05.2019).