Novolex provides customers with packaging innovation, choice and sustainability. The Company manufactures products made with fiber, renewable, recycled and bio-based materials and resin that are designed to be recycled and composted. The Company is comprised of more than 10,000 employees worldwide and operates 57 manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe, including two world-class plastic recycling facilities. Customers include some of the world’s largest brands in the dine-in and to-go restaurant, grocery, retail, sanitation and janitorial, construction, food processing and related industries. With Apollo’s global resources and significant experience in the packaging sector, Novolex expects to strengthen its leadership position by expanding its blue-chip customer relationships through a shared commitment to sustainability and product innovation.
Rob Seminara, Partner at Apollo, said, “We are pleased to invest in Novolex, a high-quality, resilient business with a loyal, long-term customer base. The Company has a strong management team and is poised to capitalize on growth across food delivery and e-commerce as well as increasing demand for environmentally responsible and compostable products. Importantly, Novolex shares our commitment to sustainability. We look forward to working alongside Stan Bikulege and the rest of the talented management team to create significant value for customers and our investors.”
Stan Bikulege, Novolex Chairman and CEO, said, “This transaction is a milestone in the Novolex growth story and for the 10,000 Novolex employee families who contribute to our Company every day. Apollo offers tremendous resources and expertise and brings significant experience in the packaging industry to the table that will enable us to continue to thrive on the next leg of our journey.”
“I want to offer my thanks to the tremendous team at Carlyle that has supported our business for the past five plus years. With their support, we have invested in the business, launched dozens of new products and expanded relationships with customers. We also acquired six businesses on two continents that have enabled us to support our customers’ growth and sustainability goals while nearly doubling the number of jobs we have been able to provide.”
Wes Bieligk, Managing Director at Carlyle, said, “We are proud of our partnership with Stan and team, who have nearly doubled the size of the Company since we first invested in Novolex in 2016. We’re excited to see the Company enter its new phase with Apollo and look forward to our continued partnership as a minority investor.”
Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), Evercore (NYSE: EVR), and Barclays (NYSE: BCS) acted as financial advisors and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as counsel to Apollo.
Credit Suisse Group (NYSE: CS) and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. (NYSE: GS) acted as financial advisors and Latham & Watkins LLP and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP served as counsel to Novolex and Carlyle.
The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2022, subject to regulatory approvals.
