Founded in 1945 by Stanley Buckman, the company has been continuously owned by the Buckman family since its founding. Buckman serves the world’s largest ingredients, chemicals and industrial companies with proven solutions for water processing, paper and packaging recycling and real-time digital tools to monitor and regulate product dosing. The company operates six manufacturing hubs and more than 1,300 employees serve customers in more than 90 countries around the world. With its global scale and commitment to digital innovation, Buckman has developed an integrated, customer-centric service delivery model that is unique in its industry and provides a strong foundation for future growth.

“I am thrilled to welcome PPC to the Buckman family. Our family founded Buckman nearly 80 years ago with a commitment to advance sustainable solutions for our industry’s most complex problems and to serve our customers with unwavering dedication and service excellence,” said Robert (“Bob”) Buckman, Chairman Emeritus, Former President and CEO of Buckman. “PPC shares our values and I am confident they will honor the Buckman family legacy as together we build on our strong foundation for many more years of growth and positive impact for our customers and communities.”

“PPC’s investment in Buckman is a testament to the strength of our business and the work our people do every day to provide outstanding service, solutions and innovation for our customers,” said Junai Maharaj, CEO of Buckman. “Partnering with PPC is the right next step for Buckman as we grow our business, scale internationally and focus on new digital innovations to benefit our customers and our industry.”

Thomas Chadwick, Investment Partner at Pritzker Private Capital, added “On behalf of the PPC team, we are delighted to partner with Buckman and support the company’s future growth and expansion. We are confident Buckman has numerous compelling growth opportunities ahead, including through strategic acquisitions. The Buckman family and Junai have built a terrific business with a truly unique operating model, and we look forward to working together to create even more value and unlock Buckman’s next phase of growth.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter 2025.

The November 2023 issue of TissueMAG is distributed to Tissue Paper Mills and Tissue Converters in America (North, Centre, South), Asia + bonus countries.

We wish you an interesting, fruitful and ‘technological’ reading.

Read the magazine – November 2023 issue

Price increases will vary depending on geographic region, solutions offered and market(s) served. In some areas, increases may be higher where local conditions may necessitate additional adjustments.

These unprecedented increases are required due to additional market increases for raw materials, energy, packaging, fuel and logistics costs. Current cost pressure is unlike anything that has been seen in the history of the specialty chemical sector.  Proper price management will ensure continued supply of Buckman products to its existing customer base.

Buckman continues to drive operational excellence throughout the organization with the goal of minimizing the impact of supply chain disruptions and cost increases.

“The pandemic only magnified the need for us to be able to collaborate and solve problems remotely,” said Dr. NM Rao, chief digital officer of Buckman. “Ackumen Connected Reality enables us to provide our customers with access to subject matter experts anywhere in the world to resolve, in just hours, issues that may have otherwise taken weeks with an in-person visit.”

Beyond collaborating remotely, Ackumen Connected Reality leverages 3D models and holograms that enable customers to make accurate space planning and logistical decisions prior to equipment installation, ensuring a smooth and surprise-free set-up which saves time and money from the start. Additionally, Ackumen Connected Reality provides documented guidance and access to expert advice via augmented reality technology so customers can solve routine maintenance, repairs, and operations (MRO) issues faster.

“We anticipate the continued need for remote collaboration post-pandemic and are excited about being able to offer this to our customers.” said Rao.

Price increases will vary depending on geographic region, solutions offered and market(s) served. In some areas, increases may be higher where local conditions may necessitate additional adjustments.

In the last 12 months, the chemical industry has experienced dramatic increases in global prices for primary feedstocks including crude oil, propylene, ethylene, natural gas, acrylonitrile, methanol, packaging, steel, aluminum and ammonia. Throughout the year we have witnessed significant global supply chain disruption, strong global demand and multiple natural disasters in North America that have and continue to put extreme upward pressure on raw material prices. These unexpected external events have escalated costs imposing an unsustainable strain that can no longer be solely absorbed by the company.

Buckman continues to drive operational excellence throughout its operations with the goal of minimizing the impact of these cost increases.

Robert “Bob” Buckman’s career at Buckman spanned nearly 50 years including a previous tenure on the Board. The son of the Company’s founder, Stanley Buckman, Bob has held many positions at the company including CEO (1978-2000), Director and Chairman of the Board. He is not only well known as an accomplished leader in the specialty chemical industry but also as a true pioneer in the field of “knowledge management” also known as “knowledge sharing”. He is the author of Building a Knowledge-Driven Organization and has been a long-term board member of the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC). He is also on the Board of Trustees at Christian Brothers University. In 1989, Bob launched a knowledge network for Buckman that used computers to widely and quickly transfer knowledge and expertise between global associates. This was enhanced in 1995 when K’Netix was created to further foster a culture of knowledge sharing that continues to this day. Buckman is a graduate of Purdue University and the University of Chicago.

Jacqueline Welch is the Chief Human Resource Officer(CHRO) and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) at Freddie Mac, and the first CHRO and CDO to sit on the Buckman Board. She has more than 20 years of experience in HR, inclusion and diversity strategy and execution both as a consultant with Accenture and Willis Towers Watson (formerly Towers Perrin) and as a corporate executive at companies such as Turner Broadcasting System and Rock-Tenn Company. Jacqueline has been recognized nationally with awards including a “CHRO of the Year” by HRO Today, “Diversity Leader of the Year” and “Women Worth Watching” by the Profiles in Diversity Journal, and the “Breakaway Leadership Award” by Evanta, a Gartner Company. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and the Milano Graduate School.

Gregg Sutherland is a recently retired strategy consulting partner with the global advisory firm Ernst & Young. During his 17 years with E&Y, Gregg assisted clients with the development of growth strategies and the design of operating models to support those strategies. His consulting work encompassed the chemical industry, including extensive work at Dow Chemical, and pulp and paper companies including Kimberly-Clark and International Paper. Gregg has also served in executive roles for product development and strategy, including Senior Vice President of Strategy at Qwest Communications.  Gregg has served as a board member for Colorado Communications and Technology Professionals and Colorado Audubon Society. He is a graduate of the University of Denver and earned his MBA at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

“We are pleased to welcome each of these individuals to our Board of Directors,” said Phil Shannon, Chairman of the Board of Bulab Holdings. “Bob, Jacqueline and Gregg each bring to the Board unique experiences, skill sets and careers but more importantly they possess the energy, desire and commitment to help Buckman achieve its ambitious goals. Their backgrounds and track records of delivering exceptional results will be invaluable to Buckman’s future successes.”

Buckman operates regional manufacturing centers in six countries to support its offerings of specialty chemical-digital solutions along with technical services through 95 countries primarily to the pulp and paper, leather, water treatment and process chemical industries. The three new Directors will join the current Directors: Junai Maharaj (Memphis), Kathy Buckman Gibson (Memphis), Phil Shannon (Memphis), Otto Heissenberger (Cincinnati), Larry Shutzberg (Memphis), Edith Kelly-Green (Memphis) and Robert O’Brien (Fort Myers, FL).

Francesca Nicole Airola – Area Manager Paper Division Italy, who will represent Buckman with the association, comments: “Having served as a partner of Italy’s papermaking industry since 1969, Buckman is very pleased to become an aggregate member of the Assocarta Association and look forward to a successful partnership. Buckman not only offers the best chemicals to our customers, but the best smart technology and application expertise to complement our chemicals’ performance.”