One Equity Partners has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Walki Holding Oy, the supplier of sustainable and high-performing packaging and engineered materials solutions, to Oji Holdings Corporation.
“We are humbled by Walki’s performance under our ownership and were pleased to help the business execute on a transformative business expansion strategy with sustainability at its core,” said Marc Lindhorst, Managing Director, One Equity Partners. “We collaborated with management to drive transformative growth opportunities in the packaging and engineered materials end markets while supporting the development of manufacturing methods with reduced adverse environmental effects.”
During OEP’s ownership since 2018, Walki saw revenue growth of 125% and made significant investments in long-term environmental sustainability. Investments included the development of alternative materials and production methods to give customers the flexibility to choose the most appropriate packaging solution to mitigate environmental impact. Walki completed seven acquisitions over OEP’s hold period, including that of Plasbel Plásticos in 2021, to leverage its expertise in producing recycled and compostable packaging and support significant expansion of the Valkeakoski facility in Finland.
“One Equity Partners was a first-rate partner to our business over the last five years,” said Leif Frilund, President and CEO, Walki. “OEP’s expertise in specialty manufacturing businesses like ours helped us to execute our sustainability strategy while continuing to grow the business. With their support, we have proven that consistent corporate growth and business development do not have to be mutually exclusive.”
