Management takes over SAUERESSIG Packaging and Surfaces – future in familiar hands
Press | December 17, 2025
The newly founded SAUERESSIG Group GmbH takes over the Matthews Packaging and Surfaces business units. Continuity, customer proximity, and an international focus are at the center of this move.
The SAUERESSIG Packaging and SAUERESSIG Surfaces business units have a new ownership structure: Effective December 16, 2025, they were acquired by Markus Pennekamp and the existing management team as part of a management buyout (MBO). The newly founded SAUERESSIG Group GmbH forms the heart of the internationally networked group of companies, which unites its locations in Europe and Asia under a single roof. Operations will continue from Vreden with an unchanged focus on customer proximity, continuity, and innovation.
“We are taking on entrepreneurial responsibility out of full conviction—because we believe in our employees, our locations, and our customers,” explains Markus Pennekamp, Managing Director of the new company. “The MBO is not just a strategic step—it is a clear commitment to long-term partnership, continuity, and future viability.”
This step is supported by regional investors as well as partners with a strong regional network who place particular value on sustainable investments. “Our employees were also able to participate in the financing—an opportunity they took advantage of in an impressive way,” says Markus Pennekamp. “The interplay of all participants contributed significantly to the successful implementation of the MBO.”
A step back to the roots and a step forward
The Packaging and Surfaces business units are deeply rooted in the tradition of the SAUERESSIG brand. Following the acquisition of SAUERESSIG by the US corporation Matthews International in 2008, a strategically driven growth phase began, during which UNGRICHT GMBH + CO KG (2017) and AKG Ahler Gravuren GmbH (2022) were also integrated into the corporate group. With the management buyout, these long-established companies will now be united under the shared umbrella of the SAUERESSIG Group, together forming a strong, internationally positioned group of companies.
This marks both a step back to our entrepreneurial roots and a step toward a future-oriented, independent trajectory: The operational structure remains fully intact. For customers and partners, existing products, services, and contacts will remain unchanged. However, the MBO unlocks new entrepreneurial scope for innovation projects, digitalization, and cross-location collaboration.
With around 790 employees worldwide, our group possesses a strong international foundation. This includes our headquarters in Vreden with SAUERESSIG Vreden GmbH and AKG Ahler Gravuren GmbH, UNGRICHT GMBH + CO KG in Mönchengladbach, as well as our Polish branches in Poznań and Warsaw. This network is further complemented by our location in Surabaya, Indonesia.
