Recycling and waste company receives purchase offer from U.S.-based Energy Capital Partners.

United Kingdom-based waste and recycling firm Biffa PLC says it has received an offer to be acquired by New Jersey-based equity fund Energy Capital Partners Management LP (ECP) and its affiliates.

The board of Biffa has announced receiving “a series of unsolicited and indicative proposals from affiliates of ECP on behalf of funds and other investment vehicles managed and/or advised by ECP and its affiliates to acquire the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of [Biffa].”

ECP’s most recent proposal, says Biffa, concerns a possible offer at a price of 445 pence ($5.57) per Biffa share in cash. That proposal, the Biffa board says, is “subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of customary pre-conditions, including satisfactory completion of due diligence.”

The board of Biffa says it has carefully evaluated the proposal together with its financial adviser, Rothschild & Co., and has concluded “that should a firm offer be made on the same financial terms as the proposal, it would be minded to recommend it to Biffa shareholders, subject to the agreement of other customary terms and conditions.”

The board has thus granted ECP access to due diligence materials.

Last year, Biffa acquired material recovery facilities and other assets from Viridor Waste Management Ltd. That transaction helped make Biffa “one of the largest recyclers of postconsumer materials in the U.K.,” the company said at the time.

On its website, ECP lists 45 companies in its past or present portfolio, including scrap tire processor Liberty Tire. For several years, ECP also owned waste-to-energy plant operator Wheelabrator Technologies.

Barry H. Caldwell previously held leadership positions during his 16-year career with Waste Management.

Kentucky-based Rubicon Technologies LLC, a software company specializing in waste and recycling, has nominated Barry H. Caldwell, former chief people officer of Waste Management, for election to its board of directors upon the closing of the company’s previously announced business combination with Founder SPAC.

“We are thrilled to announce that Barry Caldwell is nominated for election to the post-combination Rubicon Board,” says Nate Morris, chairman and CEO of Rubicon. “Barry brings with him a wealth of top-tier management experience from within the waste and recycling sector. As the Rubicon team builds on our track record of growth, and our company takes the next step towards the public markets, Barry will provide invaluable guidance around corporate governance, human resources, talent strategy and reputation management, as well as significant knowledge of the category and of the technology and sustainability imperatives that drive so much of our business today.”

Caldwell currently serves as a principal at Wroxton Civic Ventures, a Washington-based advisory services concern. Prior to this, Caldwell had a 16-year career at Waste Management as a member of the company’s senior executive team, holding leadership roles including senior vice president of public affairs and communications and senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief legal officer. Caldwell capped his time at Waste Management as senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief people officer, with his main responsibilities including human resources, state and federal policy, corporate communications and community relations.

“I am delighted to be nominated to join the Rubicon Board at this exciting time in the company’s history,” says Caldwell. “Rubicon is a leading environmental innovator, harnessing the power of its cloud-based software products to drive transformation in the waste and recycling category. As a member of the board, I look forward to bringing my experience to bear in supporting the entire Rubicon team in this next phase of the company’s life.”

The next-generation machine features low-cost operation and maintenance, as well as a "must-have" E-drive option.

At IFAT in Munich, M&J Recycling, Horsens, Denmark, reports attendees expressed particular interest in the company’s latest addition—the modular M&J P250 preshredder, which is the next generation of the former flagship M&J 4000S.

“The visitors to our stand were very excited about our new, modular preshredder. Understandably, everyone in the industry has a strong focus on avoiding long and expensive downtime, so easy maintenance is a super important competitive parameter,” M&J Recycling CEO Uffe Hansen says. “And our E-drive option will be a ‘must have’ for many customers. We are extremely pleased with the reception of the M&J P250 and feel convinced that it will quickly gain a foothold in the market.”

M&J Recycling is a global green-tech company focused on manufacturing shredders for the waste management industry.

The preshredder's modular design costs less to operate and maintain than competitors. The individual parts can be dismantled quickly and easily, saving time and money on servicing the machine, as well as ongoing maintenance, according to the company.

All the parts on the M&J P250 can be quickly removed and replaced, if necessary, and the modular design also has the advantage that operators only have to replace the parts that are actually worn. This ensures high uptime in production and large savings because fewer hours and spare parts are spent on maintenance and service. The modular design also makes the service work on the machine safer and work-friendly.

Another highlight at IFAT for M&J Recycling was presenting eFactor3 President Hartmut Bendfeldt the 2021 M&J Partner Award.

“EFactor3 has made great decisions and achieved outstanding results as our sales and service partner in the USA,” M&J Recycling Commercial Director Morten Kiil Rasmussen says.

Metals producer will supply Michigan-based Shape Corp. with recycled-content aluminum.

 Shape Corp., a Grand Haven, Michigan-based Tier 1 automotive supplier, has entered into an agreement with aluminum producer Hydro to “explore and bring to the United States market automotive components utilizing Hydro Circal.” That branded aluminum contains what Hydro describes as a minimum of 75 percent post-consumer aluminum scrap.

“We are very excited to enter into this close partnership alongside Hydro to bring a product to market that proves to assist in carving our path towards carbon neutrality,” says Mark White, president and CEO of Shape Corp. “As the industry continues to shift towards electrification, it is exciting to see the progress that is being made to materials that keep sustainability in focus for the future of automotive.”

Shape says the collaborative partnership opens the doors for it to introduce Hydro Circal to the global automotive market, “bringing green on green solutions while continuing to provide the strength and weight-saving properties held by Hydro’s aluminum product line.”

Executive Vice President of Hydro Aluminium Metal Eivind Kallevik says, “Aluminum is lightweight, infinitely recyclable, maintaining all unique properties no matter how many times it is recycled. This is why the metal can play a significant role in the lightweighting of electric and hybrid vehicles, as cars need less electricity and fewer or smaller batteries to travel the same distances.”

The agreement may help to match capacity increases being undertaken by both companies. Hydro now has a plant in Commerce, Texas, that makes Circal aluminum. The firm also is building a new melt shop and plant in Cassopolis, Michigan.

Shape Corp., which describes itself as a global producer of multi-material impact energy management and lightweight body structures, says it is expanding its aluminum extrusion capacity with a new 320,000 square foot plant in Trenton, Ohio.

Shape and Hydro say they “aim to bring Hydro Circal's first automotive product to the market through testing of material and identification of application projects.” By developing products using low-carbon aluminum, Shape says it aims to be carbon neutral in its manufacturing production phase.

The paper-based packaging solutions provider says it will install a state-of-the-art corrugator and extend the building so its facility can become a fully integrated corrugated plant.

Smurfit Kappa, a paper-based packaging provider based in Dublin, has announced it will invest $23 million to upgrade its sheet plant in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to become a fully integrated corrugated plant, which includes installing a state-of-the-art corrugator and extending the existing building.

According to Smurfit Kappa, the corrugator, which began operating in early June, will have the two-pronged benefits of reducing CO2 emissions by up to 40 percent while doubling production capacity.

"This investment reinforces our commitment to being an important player in the growth of the Mexican market," Smurfit Kappa the Americas CEO Laurent Sellier says. "It will also strengthen our partnerships within the sectors that drive the local economy in the Nuevo Laredo region."

The Nuevo Laredo plant is located in the Tamaulipas region in northeastern Mexico where Smurfit Kappa says it has strong partnerships in the industrial, electrical appliances and electronics sectors. The region represents 3.3 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and is home to more than 200 companies that manufacture products for the United States.

Smurfit Kappa says the increased production capacity will streamline its operations in San Antonio, where "a fast-growing appetite for sustainable packaging is demanding larger production volumes." The investment also makes what the company calls significant inroads in the Nuevo Laredo plant's sustainability targets, as there will be less transportation between Nuevo Laredo and San Antonio.

"The enhanced production capacity we now have because of this investment has strengthened our ability to meet the needs of current and indeed potential customers in the region," Smurfit Kappa North America CEO Eduardo Rubio says. "Smurfit Kappa is a reliable source of high-performance, sustainable packaging, no matter how complex the product or supply-chain requirements are."

This latest investment follows a $22 million expansion of Smurfit Kappa's Culiacan corrugated plant in northwest Mexico last year, which modernized and expanded the facility via the installation of what the company called "high-tech, state-of-the-art machinery" and the construction of a new 117,000-square-foot building which included a new corrugator and automated rotary die cutter.