Subject to approval by merger control GermanMalt GmbH & Co. KG, Osthofen, will become part of the international GrainCorp Group. The shareholders of Schill-Malz GmbH & Co. KG, Osthofen, and C. Thywissen GmbH, Neuss, have agreed last Friday to sell their shares including their participation in Rhein-Ruhr-Malz GmbH & Co. KG and Th?ringer Malz GmbH.
GrainCorp is a public listed company based in Sydney, Australia with a market capitalisation of about € 1.2 billion. The company is involved in grain handling and marketing and the processing of grain. The malting unit of GrainCorp is one of the largest malting groups worldwide with a malt production capacity of about 1.2 million tonnes in Australia, Canada, USA and UK.
GermanMalt is one of the leading malting groups in Germany and runs four malt houses in Worms, M?lheim/Ruhr, Sangerhausen und Clingen. Furthermore GermanMalt has a toll malting agreement with Malzfabrik Kalscheuren in H?rth. Altogether the group sells more than 200.000 t of malt in Germany and worldwide.
The participation of GermanMalt in GlobalMalt GmbH & Co. KG as well as a 30% participation in GlobalMalt Polska Sp.zo.o. were sold at the same time to the partner Tivoli Malz GmbH, Hamburg.
Further delivery to domestic and international customers will takes place through GlobalMalt until approval by merger control and will be continued thereafter by the two partners separately in accordance with its customers. To the clients of GermanMalt there will not be any changes except the name change from GlobalMalt to GermanMalt. Delivery will be executed by the current supply plants and all contacts, management and staff will remain the same.
Through affiliation to one of the leading malting groups in the world GermanMalt hopes to achieve improved access to the growing international markets and the global brewing groups. In view of the decentralized structure of GrainCorp Malt our domestic business will be further strengthened and developed and clients receive the security of working with a solid and financially sound partner. Synergy effects are expected in export malt sales and barley supply with the newly opened GrainCorp Trading office in Hamburg.
Carl Otto and Peter Schill and Sjef Menu, Managing Directors of GermanMalt: ”We are glad to have found in GrainCorp a strategic investor who will consistently pursue our previous growth strategy and stands equally for the continuity in our business relation to customers. The affiliation to one of the biggest and financially soundest malting groups of the world means to our employees and ourselves a strengthening of our business in a changing and more competitive business environment.”
GrainCorp Managing Director and CEO Alison Watkins: “The European barley and malt sector has a major influence on world markets, as around half the world’s malt exports originate there. Because of the influence of Europe, it is strategically important for GrainCorp to be an active participant in that market. The sector is also reshaping, and now is the right time to enter Europe to take advantage of the changes happening there.”
“The acquisition of GermanMalt will mean GrainCorp’s malt sales into the growth regions of Africa and South America will be more competitive, and provides GrainCorp with a stronger customer supply proposition.”
“With GermanMalt, GrainCorp’s malt portfolio is strengthened, and our capability to meet the needs of brewers will be enhanced. The acquisition diversifies our earnings base and creates growth opportunities in the region.”
“Our recently opened Hamburg office will play an important part in delivering synergies associated with this acquisition, as will the ability to use GermanMalt as an additional source of supply to support our existing malt sales from North America and Australia.”