Houlihan Lokey Advises Deutsche Bank and Orchard Global

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Deutsche Bank and Orchard Global have divested their stake in HIT HOLZ (HIT), Europe’s largest supplier of EPAL pallets, to Mercer International (Mercer).

Headquartered in Torgau, Germany, HIT is the largest European manufacturer of EPAL pallets, operates one of the largest sawmill sites, and is one of the most significant producers of biofuels in Germany. The wood for production is sourced exclusively from sustainably managed forests and, for the most part, comes from within a radius of 150 to 200 kilometres. HIT utilises 100% of every trunk down to the last chip, conserving resources, making itself less dependent on external suppliers and service providers, and making its contribution to a sustainable, green electricity supply.

Vancouver-headquartered Mercer is publicly listed (NASDAQ:MERC). It is one of the world’s largest producers of market pulp, a growing leader in the solid-wood products space, and a producer of biomass-based green energy and bio extractives. The acquisition contributes significantly to Mercer’s German competitive positioning, with enhanced sawing capacities and greater access to wood supply.

Houlihan Lokey acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Deutsche Bank and Orchard Global and negotiated all aspects of the transaction on their behalf. This most recent transaction further strengthens Houlihan Lokey’s leadership in the execution of complex deals and underpins its strong cross-border capabilities.