Our Story

With our mills, packaging plants and sales offices, we’ve accomplished a lot in the last hundred years. Our timeline shows where we came from and where we’re headed.

1888

Start of strawboard plant De Dollard in Bad Nieuweschans (NL).

1901

The mill in Oude Pekela (NL) was founded as N.V. Strokartonfabriek “de Kroon” by 4 investors. A startup was made with three board machines and straw as raw material.

1908

The mill in Coevorden (NL) was founded as Cooperative “Drents-Overijsselse Stroocartonindustrie”

1913

Startup of Cooperation strawboard plant “de Halm” with the plant in Hoogkerk (NL).

1918

Gebr. Sparreboom started a converting plant in Nieuwe Pekela (NL).

1931

In 1931 about 1.6 million kilograms of straw were lost by fire in the Oude Pekela mill (NL). The year after that, the factory, which at that time had about 80 employees, closed down again. In 1937 the factory underwent an overall expansion and modernization. The offices of the factory were moved to the place where the overseer's house was while the existing offices were built close to the factory. The entire building was modernized and the steam engine was replaced by an electrically driven machine.

1933

Fibor de Hoop (currently SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS Zutphen) established by Hendrik Bos.

After the Second World War

After the Second World War, the deprivation in maintenance and expansion, which appeared at all factories as a result of the war, was radically catched up. Under the architecture of the Kruijer architectural firm of Nieuwe Pekela, the mill in Oude Pekela (NL) was rebuilt. A large warehouse was built and roofs were renewed. In 1951, "The Crown" existed for 50 years.

1964

In the factory in Coevorden (NL), the raw material for board becomes recovered paper instead of straw. Also in Bad Nieuwschans (NL) and Hoogkerk (NL), the raw material changes to recovered paper over the next years.

1965

Zutphen: “Fibor” moves to its current location in Zutphen.

Oude Pekela (converting):
Acquisition by the cooperation Ceres from Oude Pekela.

Oude Pekela (mill): Merger of straw board factories “Britannia” and “De Kroon” into “Verpak N.V.” (Verenigde Papier- en Kartonfabrieken). In 1970 a merger takes place with corrugated board producer “Zuid-Nederlandse Handelsmaatschappij v/h A. van Dam N.V.” (Helmond, NL).

1970

An acquisition by Bührmann-Tetterode takes place at the mill in Coevorden (NL). Also the plant in Bad Nieuweschans (NL) is acquired by the company (1976).

1974

Merger with W.A. Scholten NV in Sappemeer, under the new name of KAPPA (Oude Pekela mill). In 1977 Kappa is bought by “Koninklijke Nederlandse Papierfabriek (KNP)”.

1975

The first sales office in France is a fact: located in Rueil Malmaison, near Paris.

1984

The Corby (UK) site was built and named “Corby Cases” (part of Bührmann-Tetterode).

1985

Birth of van der Windt Kartonnage N.V. established by John van der Windt. The converting plant in Hoogstraten (BE) becomes part of this. In 1990 the plant in Belgium was taken over by Bührmann-Tetterode group.

1989

Merger to Triton Karton B.V. for mills in Coevorden (NL), Bad Nieuweschans (NL) and Oude Pekela (NL).

1991

In Zutphen (NL), Fibor is disconnected from the parent company.

1991 – 1993

KNP-Leykam merged with Bührmann-Tetterode and VRG, resulting in KNP BT which changed the names of some plants: Corby Corlon Packaging (Corby, UK), GSF Verpakkingen (Oude Pekela, NL).

1994

Restructuring within KNP BT. Three board producers (Oude Pekela KNP De Kroon, Triton Karton Pekela and Kappa Britannia) formed into one company Kappa Attica.

1998

A take-over by Kappa is taking place which also performed some changes:

The plant in Hoogstraten (Belgium) acts under the new name “Kappa Interbox NV”.

After acquiring Smurfit order book, KNPBT and Assi merge and the site in Corby is named “Kappa Corby Corlon”.

The name of the converting plant in Oude Pekela (NL) changed into “Kappa Packaging” by a management buy-out and became “Kappa GSF” later on.

2000

Acquisition of plant in Zutphen by Newark. In 2012 the plant is taken over again by investment company Phi.

2005

Kappa and Smurfit merge to become Smurfit Kappa. Restructuring within Smurfit Kappa takes place and three board producers (Kappa Attica (Oude Pekela BM1 “Ceres” and BM4 “De Kroon”), Kappa Triton (Nieuweschans BM2/3 and Coevorden BM4) and Smurfit “de Halm” (Hoogkerk BM1/4)) are renamed as one company: Smurfit Kappa Solid Board b.v.

Also our plants in Hoogstraten (BE), Oude Pekela (NL) and Corby (UK) got renamed as “Smurfit Kappa Interbox”, “Smurfit Kappa GSF” and “Smurfit Kappa Corby”.

2011

Smurfit Kappa Corby purchases Oakland Packaging, integrating order book.

2015

Acquisition by Aurelius of 4 mills (Coevorden, Bad Nieuweschans, Oude Pekela and Hoogkerk), 4 converters (Belgium, Oude Pekela, Bergen op Zoom (closed by end of 2017) and UK) and sales offices in France and Norway to perform the new SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS group (SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS Board B.V., SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS Belgium BVBA, SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS Oude Pekela B.V., SOLIDUS UK SOLUTIONS Ltd.)

2016

Acquisition by Aurelius: Fibor Packaging becomes SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS Zutphen B.V. and is part of the SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS group.

2019

Acquisition of Solidus Solutions by Centerbridge Partners, a private investment management firm.

After being acquired by Centerbridge Partners, Solidus Solutions acquires Spanish cores and tubes converters Mayensa S.L. and Valtub S.L.

Our future?

Find out more about our vision & mission. Link