With the sale of its last pallet manufacturing plant, Faber Halbertsma Group signals its increasing focus on pallet pooling interests.
The Faber Halbertsma Group has reached an agreement with the Archimbaud Group on the sale of the French pallet production subsidiary Francepal. All company buildings and production facilities in Durtal are included in the acquisition, and all employees will be fully preserved by the Archimbaud Group, the new owner. With the sale of this last pallet production company of its portfolio, FHG wants to fully focus on its growing activity in the innovative circular pooling model.
The move follows the recent sale of other Faber Halbertsma Group pallet production operations. In September 2020, FHG announced the sale of several operations to Foresco Group. The transaction included its Dutch and Belgian pallet production companies, including Faber Pallets, Phoenix Pallets, Packaging Partners and Pasec). The real estate and all means of production were included in the takeover, with employment fully preserved.
The Faber Halbertsma Group is originally a pallet production company and has evolved in recent decades by reusing its products through its various pallet pooling model. The company is now a leader in the rental of pallets and crates through its four associated pooling businesses and its timber trading company, with around 500 employees and a turnover of €330 million.
The Archimbaud Group is a French family business specializing in sawing softwood intended for the manufacturing of pallets since 1984, the company today produces boards, pallets, pellets and electricity by cogeneration. Archimbaud’s ingenuity allows full exploitation of the raw material thanks to the recovery of wood by-products (shavings, sawdust, chips and bark).
“The focus of the Faber Halbertsma Group is increasingly on the pooling of wooden and plastic pallets, boxes and crates throughout Europe,” said Ingrid Faber, CEO of the Faber Halbertsma Group. “As a result, pallet production became less and less consistent with this strategy over time. Francepal has a very strong performance, which makes it particularly suitable to be sold as an independent production company.”
“The Archimbaud group welcomes the agreement concluded with the Faber Halbertsma Group for the takeover of its French subsidiary Francepal,” commented Jean-Pascal Archimbaud, CEO of the Archimbaud Group. “The historic ties between the two groups, since 1993, have contributed to the completion of this transaction which will strengthen our partnership on the national territory.”
With the sale of its last production company, the Faber Halbertsma Group stated that it has taken the last step to fully focus its efforts on growing its circular pooling model.
Both parties are delighted with the acquisition, FHG stated. “With the new owner, the focus on the production of pallets is fully guaranteed and Francepal can continue to build on a solid future,” it concluded.