Rigid plastic film and packaging maker Klöckner Pentaplast Group is teaming up with Berry Plastics Group Inc. in what is being called a marketing alliance to provide form-fill-seal packaging.
The marketing agreement is on a global basis and targets the food, consumer, pharmaceutical and medical markets.
“By marketing our products together, we will serve as a single source for our customers and have the ability to offer a complete solution for some of the most demanding products,” said Greg Kughn, sales development director for the flexible packaging division of Berry Plastics, in a statement.
Klöckner Pentaplast makes forming films used to make trays. Berry Plastics, of Evansville, Ind., makes non-forming lid stock films, the companies said.
“By forming an alliance to combine the skills and talents of our two companies, we can immediately offer the market an extensive portfolio of packaging solutions,” said Jeffrey Best, director of strategic business development, at Klöckner Pentaplast, in a statement.
The companies' combined experience means they can offer packaging that meets “seal and peel, gas barrier, clarity, heat resistance, and post-consumer recycled content” performance criteria, the companies said.
Klöckner CEO resigns
News of the agreement comes just about a month after Klöckner Pentaplast, based in Montabaur, Germany, revealed CEO Christian Holtmann resigned due to personnel reasons.
Holtmann's resignation followed Klöckner Pentaplast's moves to first put itself up for sale last year and then later take itself off the market several months later, according to media reports. Greenwich, Conn.-based investment firm Strategic Value Partners owns the company.
Holtmann, Klöckner Pentaplast said in mid-February, was succeeded by Chief Financial Officer Markus Holzl, who took the interim position of speaker of the management board, as the company seeks a new permanent CEO.