New European market leader in publication gravure printing

The France based Riccobono Group has completed the acquisition of the TSB Group, one of the leading independent publication gravure companies in Germany.

The TSB Group

The TSB Group consists of the companies Tiefdruck Schwann-Bagel (TSB), H+B Finishing, Basico Finishing, ISI Storage, Garant Engineering & Purchasing and TSB Retail. Originally part of the Bagel Group based in Mönchengladbach, Germany, the TSB Group operates six large-format gravure presses, two Ferag saddle stitching drums, three Müller Martini Tempo saddle stitchers and an automated storage system for 16,000 pallets on an area of 42,000 square metres. With more than 300 employees, the TSB Group achieves an annual turnover of over 70 million Euros in the field of publication gravure printing. It is independent of publishers and broadly positioned, carrying out productions for publishers, mail order and retail in Germany, Benelux, Great Britain and France.

The acquisition makes the Riccobono Group the largest publication gravure company in Europe. It enables synergies between the companies in Germany and France and offers customers new production possibilities, alternative materials as well as processing methods. The merger is accompanied by a restructuring plan that has been positively endorsed by 81% of the workforce and provides for a socially acceptable adjustment of capacities to the German market without affecting the TSB Group’s performance. Guillaume Riccobono stressed the importance of this acquisition for external growth and positioning in the German market for large-volume printing. Ida Bagel expressed her confidence in the future of the group under Riccobono’s leadership.

The Riccobono Group

The family business is already in its fifth generation in printing and is the leader in France in particular in the printing of daily newspapers. With the acquisition, this sector will now account for only 30% of the group’s activities, while 40% will be devoted to printing magazines, catalogues and brochures, 20% to distribution and delivery and 10% to finishing and routing. With more than 3,000 employees, the Riccobono Group has a turnover of almost 310 million euros.