One of Georgia’s largest companies finalized a $20 billion international merger earlier this month and confirmed it will continue to run its U.S. operations in metro Atlanta.
Sandy Springs-based WestRock on July 5 completed its deal to merge with Dublin-based Smurfit Kappa, forming a new paper and packaging giant called Smurfit Westrock. On Monday, the company revealed it will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “SW” and will use the ticker “SWR” on the London Stock Exchange.
Smurfit Westrock’s global headquarters will be located in Dublin, while Westrock’s offices at Northpark Towncenter in Sandy Springs will anchor the company’s U.S. division. WestRock has called the office complex at 1000 Abernathy Rd. NE it’s homebase since 2017 after relocating about 800 employees from Norcross.
Credit: Courtesy Smurfit Westrock
Credit: Courtesy Smurfit Westrock
Mergers are nothing new for WestRock, a corrugated packaging company that makes products ranging from pizza boxes to ice cream cartons to medicine containers. The Fortune 500 company resulted from a 2015 merger between MeadWestvaco and RockTenn.
With roots dating back to 1934, Smurfit Kappa is also the product of a merger. Jefferson Smurfit, a maker of cardboard boxes and packaging materials for the Irish market, merged with its Dutch competitor Kappa Packaging in 2005. Smurfit Kappa was nearly acquired in 2018 by International Paper for 8.9 billion Euros, but the deal fell apart.
Tony Smurfit, the CEO of Smurfit Westrock, said combining the two packaging behemoths will expand their reach to 40 countries and support more than 100,000 employees.
“Combining Smurfit Kappa and WestRock creates a world-leading sustainable packaging player, bringing together a tremendous depth of experience and expertise from both companies,” said Smurfit Westrock CEO Tony Smurfit in a news release. “We believe that this combination has created the ‘go-to’ leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging.”
Georgia is one of America’s largest logistics hubs, boasting the world’s busiest airport, multiple coastal ports and several Fortune 500 companies across the shipping, trucking and packaging industries. Packaging companies in metro Atlanta include UPS, Graphic Packaging and Veritiv, which announced last year it was purchased by a private equity firm in a $2.3 billion transaction.
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