Board Converting News, April 12, 2021

The Current Pace Of M&A (CONT’D FROM PAGE 22)

this will lead to an uptick in opportunities for tuck-ins and cashless mergers once troubled owners realize there are alternatives to locking the doors and selling everything off. When done correctly, these transactions create value for buyer and seller alike, even if the seller is struggling. The Watchword Is Optimism A year ago, in a forecast published in these pages during some of the worst moments of the pandemic, we acknowledged that, in the short-term, we didn’t know what would happen — the upheaval to the economy had been too sudden, and it was too soon to measure the extent of the loss. We also said that as the threat of the virus started to fade, and the economy began to rebound, M&A activity would rebound along with it. We’re sticking by that prediction. Today we have vac- cines, hope, and a powerful pent-up desire to get back into the normal rhythms of business. The printing and packaging industries remain among the most highly frag- mented industries in the U.S., and fragmented industries inevitably consolidate through M&As. Owners of printing and packaging companies who are ready to move onto the next stages of their lives continue to search for profit- able exit strategies. We still don’t know exactly what will happen, but we’re confident that any slowdown in the pace of deal closings CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Do you need printed sheets? We have your answer.. Introducing Heartland’s ColorCorr. This is “flexo-printing in the round”. On our corrugator we can print up to 109” wide. The advantage is that we can print the equivalent of ½ roll at a time and not be required to keep several rolls of very expensive preprinted paper on the floor. Much less waste and risk. In continual print mode, we use either laser-engraved rubber rolls or solid rubber rolls to print a “flood coat” or a repeating pattern. If we are printing a repeating pattern, we can run a two-color design on the paper. Customers have found that running sheets we print can allow them to run a lighter-grade due to reduced caliper loss, and in some cases eliminate one or more machine passes.

For more information contact: Charlie Freeman | 816-500-8889 | cfreeman@heartlandsheets.com Tim Kramer | 816-841-8317 | color@heartlandsheets.com

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April 12, 2021

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