09.03.21
Basel, Switzerland
www.jacob-holm.com
2020 Nonwovens Sales: $400 million
Key Personnel
Martin Mikkelsen, CEO; Roberto Boggio, COO Sontara; Suman Raha, COO JHI; Raymund Scheffrahn, CFO; Santosh Chavan, CVP PD; Carmelo Carrubba, CVP Strategy/Sustainability; Harvey Shelton, CVP Manufacturing Transformation
Plants
Asheville, NC; Soultz, France; Old Hickory, TN; Asturias, Spain
Processes
Sontara, Spunlace
In July 2021, Jacob Holm & Sons AG entered into a definitive agreement to be sold to Glatfelter Corporation, a leading producer of airlaid and wetlaid nonwovens, for approximately $308 million including the extinguishment of debt. The deal, which is subject to post-closing adjustments, includes the company’s four manufacturing sites and six sales offices located in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
“We are excited about the prospects and possibilities this combination presents for the company and look forward to taking the next step of this new journey,” says Martin Mikkelsen, CEO. “We are pleased to have identified a home for the business with shared values, the proven capability to grow businesses and a clear view to supporting the next growth phase prepared by the Jacob Holm management team.”
Looking back to 2020, sales at Jacob Holm reached $400 million, a year that was defined by global increases in demand due to Covid and increased focus on decontamination and need for localized supply.
As it prepares for its sale, Jacob Holm continues its global expansion plan, which was announced last year in response to this surge in demand. The program, which has been dubbed “Project Boost,” was approved by the board of directors in May 2020 and is expected to be complete by the second half of this year, adding about 500 million square meters to Jacob Holm’s global capacity, impacting all of its global manufacturing sites and adding nearly 60 new full-time positions.
“We are halfway through this investment project,” says Mikkelsen. “We have already seen some good results and validation for upcoming investments.”
In addition to adding to Jacob Holm’s global capacity, the program will allow the company to increase its usage of renewable raw materials. The upgraded production methodology will reduce waste and improve production efficiency and ultimately lower the carbon footprint of the Jacob Holm and Sontara product portfolios.
“We have really doubled down on our sustainability efforts in 2020 and 2021,” Mikkelsen says. “I see it as our obligation to provide sustainable products with improved performance while remaining competitive.”
As part of the Jacob Holm commitment to sustainability, Jacob Holm delivered its inaugural sustainability report in Q1 detailing progress made related to environmental and social governance. Jacob Holm is also proud to report its superior rating by Sustainalytics and its membership as a participant of the UN Global Compact.
On the product side, in April, Jacob Holm added Sontara EC Green to its Sontara Professional portfolio. Sontara EC Green is a unique, new high performance 100% cellulosic substrate product, made from proprietary Sontara technology.
This ultra-pure production process creates a 100% bio-based product without any binders, chemical additives or adhesives. Sontara EC Green is patent-protected and produced from renewable sources, making it an excellent alternative to non-biodegradable substrates. Food contact safe, these wipes come in a convenient dispenser box with sealed packs to prevent contamination. With this product, you can have the critical cleaning power you need while being environmentally responsible.
Along with new sustainable packaging made from recycled materials and a new folded wipes format, Jacob Holm is adding this sustainable option to its Sontara EC product range. This new addition is one more step forward into Jacob Holm’s commitment to sustainability and continuous innovation.
In June, Jacob Holm announced that its SoftFlush products passed the latest International Water Services Flushability Group (IWSFG) specifications. These specifications were created by the IWSFG with public input to reduce problems to homes, wastewater treatment facilities, utility workers and our environment caused by indiscriminately flushing consumer products.
According to IWSFG, “Products that meet the IWSFG flushability specifications are unlikely to cause harm to wastewater conveyance systems or treatment plants.” The IWSFG publicly available specification (PAS) documents were first published in 2018, with updates made in November 2020.
“We are very proud of what we achieved in dispersibility with fully sustainable materials, even though the bar was already set high.” Mikkelsen says.
SoftFlush is also proven to be compliant with the UK Fine to Flush standard and significantly exceeds the requirements of the fourth edition of the Guidelines for Assessing the Flushability of Disposable Nonwoven Products (GD4) set forth by INDA Association of the Nonwovens Fabric Industry.
Looking ahead, Mikkelsen says he believes in the long-term strength of the global wipes market. “The underlying fundamentals of the wipes market are healthy. After a period of extraordinary demand, you may have a quarter of a correction and then return to long term growth,” he says. “This is okay if you are in the right markets and have the right customers. There are always ups and downs with demand as new capacity comes on stream but we take the long-term view that the market will absorb new capacity. We are committed to supporting our customers’ growth with the necessary investments to expand spunlace capacity.”
www.jacob-holm.com
2020 Nonwovens Sales: $400 million
Key Personnel
Martin Mikkelsen, CEO; Roberto Boggio, COO Sontara; Suman Raha, COO JHI; Raymund Scheffrahn, CFO; Santosh Chavan, CVP PD; Carmelo Carrubba, CVP Strategy/Sustainability; Harvey Shelton, CVP Manufacturing Transformation
Plants
Asheville, NC; Soultz, France; Old Hickory, TN; Asturias, Spain
Processes
Sontara, Spunlace
In July 2021, Jacob Holm & Sons AG entered into a definitive agreement to be sold to Glatfelter Corporation, a leading producer of airlaid and wetlaid nonwovens, for approximately $308 million including the extinguishment of debt. The deal, which is subject to post-closing adjustments, includes the company’s four manufacturing sites and six sales offices located in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
“We are excited about the prospects and possibilities this combination presents for the company and look forward to taking the next step of this new journey,” says Martin Mikkelsen, CEO. “We are pleased to have identified a home for the business with shared values, the proven capability to grow businesses and a clear view to supporting the next growth phase prepared by the Jacob Holm management team.”
Looking back to 2020, sales at Jacob Holm reached $400 million, a year that was defined by global increases in demand due to Covid and increased focus on decontamination and need for localized supply.
As it prepares for its sale, Jacob Holm continues its global expansion plan, which was announced last year in response to this surge in demand. The program, which has been dubbed “Project Boost,” was approved by the board of directors in May 2020 and is expected to be complete by the second half of this year, adding about 500 million square meters to Jacob Holm’s global capacity, impacting all of its global manufacturing sites and adding nearly 60 new full-time positions.
“We are halfway through this investment project,” says Mikkelsen. “We have already seen some good results and validation for upcoming investments.”
In addition to adding to Jacob Holm’s global capacity, the program will allow the company to increase its usage of renewable raw materials. The upgraded production methodology will reduce waste and improve production efficiency and ultimately lower the carbon footprint of the Jacob Holm and Sontara product portfolios.
“We have really doubled down on our sustainability efforts in 2020 and 2021,” Mikkelsen says. “I see it as our obligation to provide sustainable products with improved performance while remaining competitive.”
As part of the Jacob Holm commitment to sustainability, Jacob Holm delivered its inaugural sustainability report in Q1 detailing progress made related to environmental and social governance. Jacob Holm is also proud to report its superior rating by Sustainalytics and its membership as a participant of the UN Global Compact.
On the product side, in April, Jacob Holm added Sontara EC Green to its Sontara Professional portfolio. Sontara EC Green is a unique, new high performance 100% cellulosic substrate product, made from proprietary Sontara technology.
This ultra-pure production process creates a 100% bio-based product without any binders, chemical additives or adhesives. Sontara EC Green is patent-protected and produced from renewable sources, making it an excellent alternative to non-biodegradable substrates. Food contact safe, these wipes come in a convenient dispenser box with sealed packs to prevent contamination. With this product, you can have the critical cleaning power you need while being environmentally responsible.
Along with new sustainable packaging made from recycled materials and a new folded wipes format, Jacob Holm is adding this sustainable option to its Sontara EC product range. This new addition is one more step forward into Jacob Holm’s commitment to sustainability and continuous innovation.
In June, Jacob Holm announced that its SoftFlush products passed the latest International Water Services Flushability Group (IWSFG) specifications. These specifications were created by the IWSFG with public input to reduce problems to homes, wastewater treatment facilities, utility workers and our environment caused by indiscriminately flushing consumer products.
According to IWSFG, “Products that meet the IWSFG flushability specifications are unlikely to cause harm to wastewater conveyance systems or treatment plants.” The IWSFG publicly available specification (PAS) documents were first published in 2018, with updates made in November 2020.
“We are very proud of what we achieved in dispersibility with fully sustainable materials, even though the bar was already set high.” Mikkelsen says.
SoftFlush is also proven to be compliant with the UK Fine to Flush standard and significantly exceeds the requirements of the fourth edition of the Guidelines for Assessing the Flushability of Disposable Nonwoven Products (GD4) set forth by INDA Association of the Nonwovens Fabric Industry.
Looking ahead, Mikkelsen says he believes in the long-term strength of the global wipes market. “The underlying fundamentals of the wipes market are healthy. After a period of extraordinary demand, you may have a quarter of a correction and then return to long term growth,” he says. “This is okay if you are in the right markets and have the right customers. There are always ups and downs with demand as new capacity comes on stream but we take the long-term view that the market will absorb new capacity. We are committed to supporting our customers’ growth with the necessary investments to expand spunlace capacity.”
