by Brianna Crandall — November 4, 2016 — SCA, a global hygiene and forest products company, and Wausau Paper Corp., a North American away-from-home tissue company, announced last year that SCA would acquire Wausau Paper, with the merger taking place during Q1 2016. The ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2016 show in Chicago last week was the first time that legacy Wausau tissue products were revealed under the Tork name (an SCA brand) and that the two formerly separate sales teams worked together at the SCA booth.
Wausau Paper was one of the largest away-from-home tissue companies in North America, with approximately 900 employees. The company manufactured and marketed away-from-home towel and tissue products along with soap and dispensing systems through its Artisan, DublNature, DublSoft and EcoSoft brands. Wausau Paper’s advanced tissue technology with manufacturing flexibility enables it to produce its towels and tissue entirely from recycled paper, which has further contributed to SCA’s efforts to create environmentally friendly products and extended its sustainability commitment.
The combined operations have provided customers with access to a comprehensive portfolio of food service offerings and premium tissue and washroom products, and SCA has honored Wausau Paper’s existing customer contracts and programs.
Global hygiene and forest products company SCA develops and produces sustainable personal care, tissue and forest products. Sales are conducted in about 100 countries under many strong brands, including the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and regional brands, such as Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo and Vinda. As Europe’s largest private forest owner, SCA places considerable emphasis on sustainable forest management. The Group has about 44,000 employees. SCA was founded in 1929, has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.
SCA and Wausau Paper expect the acquisition to continue to generate benefits for both companies and their customers by providing access to the superior sales, service, innovation and logistics that the combined business provides. Building on SCA’s Tork global brand of away-from-home tissue products, the move has offered customers a “one-stop shop” for all professional hygiene needs, from companies said to share similar values around customer service and sustainability.
The acquisition is expected to generate annual synergies in sourcing, production, logistics, reduced imports, increased volumes of premium products and reduced SG&A costs.
