Two family-owned players on the Scandinavian packaging market merge. The Norwegian company Ramstad Eskefabrikk A/S in Førde has been sold to the Danish company Schur International a/s, a manufacturer of carton packaging in Denmark, Sweden and Germany. The acquisition will take effect as of 1 April 2009 and the company will be carried on under the name Schur Pack Norway a/s. 

Ramstad Eskefabrikk has a turnover of approx. NOK 40.0m and employs 30 persons in its factory in Førde. Schur has a turnover of DKK 450m in Scandinavia in its factories in Sweden and Denmark and the acquisition of the Norwegian company will improve the supply to and service of the Scandinavian customers. 

"For a while I have had a wish to sell my company" says Margunn Ramstad, the owner of Ramstad Eskefabrikk. "I am pleased that Schur – a family-owned company with more than 160 years experience and tradition within the packaging industry – is the company that will be serving our customers in future. With this sale we have been promised that Schur will continue the production in Førde for which reason our loyal employees of many years' service can count on continued employment." 

"We wish to play an active role in the necessary consolidation and restructuring of the line of business in Scandinavia. This process started in the autumn of 2005 with the acquisition of the Danish company Danapak and its carton companies in Denmark and Germany. The acquisition was subsequently followed up by the acquisition of the Danish packaging company Bruuns Emballage in Sønderborg in 2008. The acquisition of Ramstad Eskefabrikk is in line with this strategy" says Hans Schur "Ramstad Eskefabrikk is a 60-year-old family-owned packaging company which has been known as a supplier of high quality and service to stable customers and we look forward to continuing the co-operation with these customers in future and to prove that we can deliver the same high quality and service. With this acquisition we will be able to offer Schur's customers in Denmark, Norway and Sweden local production and service and at the same time our position as Scandinavia's largest manufacturer of carton packaging offers large-scale operation advantages and improved utilisation of our capacity in the 3 factories".