Leading Australian independent manufacturer and supplier of corrugated and carton board packaging Abbe Group recently announced its acquisition of Oji Fibre Solutions Australia, a leading manufacturer of pulp, paper, and wood-fibre based packaging solutions in October, with the acquisition having just taken effect on 1 November.

Abbe Group managing director Anthony O’Sullivan told ProPack.pro the acquisition was the “largest and most complex” in Abbe’s history, and that the company is looking forward to integrating the business and continuing to enhance its customers’ experience.

“After initially being approached by representatives of Oji Fibre Solutions (OjiFS) regarding the potential sale of its Packaging Australia business, Abbe’s executive leadership team immediately saw the opportunity for strategic investment, delivering clear capability and growth opportunities into the Abbe family,” he said.

“The acquisition includes all current OjiFS Packaging Australia sites in Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales, with all infrastructure and machinery at those sites being incorporated into the sale. Oji Foodservice, which has a site operating in Australia, was not part of the sale agreement.”

O’Sullivan confirmed all OjiFS Australia senior management staff have been offered roles within Abbe and will form part of the combined structure moving forward.

“Abbe understands the value of people, their knowledge and experience, and the part they play in the success of our business. We have already welcomed almost 300 former OjiFS staff into the Abbe family as part of this transition – the significant majority of former OjiFS Packaging Australia staff,” he said.

All sites now operate under the Abbe banner, with former OjiFS sites rebranded as of 1 November. All internal and external communications – from invoicing to emails – now fall under the Abbe brand.

“While complete integration plans are still being developed, we remain focussed on customer-centric outcomes, consistent with Abbe’s business strategy. Ultimately, how these integration plans look will be driven by how Abbe can better meet our customer’s product and service needs with the broader capacity and capability this acquisition brings,” O’Sullivan mentioned.

He also said Abbe was already the third largest corrugated cardboard packaging producer in the Australian market, and while there is no question the acquisition of OjiFS Australia brings with it significant opportunities for growth and capability uplift, the focus on the target market and the delivery of service, quality, and exceptional value for customers remains unchanged.

“The O’Sullivan family is 4th generation box makers, with all those generations having worked, or continuing to work, in various capacities at Abbe. We have built a business from the ground up and we are extremely proud of our achievements,” he said.

“Abbe has always prioritised customer satisfaction and has refined a customer-centric strategy to differentiate us in the packaging market. We focus on our values of respect, ownership, teamwork and excellence, having built an amazing team and culture founded on the values and insights of being part of a wider family.

“This acquisition of course presented some huge challenges for both the family and our senior executive team to tackle, but we are looking forward to an exciting 12 months ahead as the Abbe family, and its offering, continues to grow.”

In addition, O’Sullivan identified that the acquisition allows Abbe to further embed its brand in the Queensland market with the addition of its first dedicated manufacturing site in the state.

“This enables us to balance production capacities and maintain consistent service year-round, despite the seasonal fluctuations in corrugated packaging demand in some sectors,” he added.

According to O’Sullivan, the acquisition of the OjiFS Packaging Australia business is a great fit for Abbe and its future trajectory in the Australian packaging sector.

“In the immediate future, we are very much focussed on ensuring a seamless transition for both our existing customers and those we have welcomed from the OjiFS business, in tandem with a consolidated market presence, improved capacity and capability Australia-wide,” he said.

“We continue to enjoy great support from both customers and suppliers in support of the growth of Abbe, and we are looking forward to sharing the next chapter and more exciting news in the future.”

Read more about the acquisition in the December 2025 issue of ProPack magazine.