Global packaging blow molder Alpla-Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & Co. KG is set to extend its presence in Italy this month with the acquisition of the Italian preform injection molder Plasco SpA.
Alpla, based in Hard, Austria, already runs five plants and three customer in-house molding facilities in Italy and will complete its Italian product portfolio with the addition of Plasco, which it says is the leading producer of PET bottle preforms.
Alpla expects its Italian purchase to be completed by the end of November. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
Privately owned Plasco, based in Anagni, near Rome, was founded in 1995 and started molding both bottles and preforms. It has since specialized in preform injection molding. The firm now employs more than 70 at plants in Anagni and more recently in Atella in southern Italy, turning out nearly 3 billion preforms per year.
Its customer base includes leading Italian and international beverage, fresh milk, food, vegetable oil and fruit juice companies. Almost all its preform sales are to the domestic market although it also exports to countries including Spain, Belgium, Greece, Serbia and Cyprus.
Plasco operates a total of 22 molding lines from suppliers including Netstal, Sipa and Husky.
Sixty-year-old Alpla, with 16,000 employees at 154 blow and injection molding plants in 40 countries worldwide, has operated in Italy for 30 years. Today Alpla Italia has main plants at its base in Tortona and at Anzio, along with in-house units in Anzio, Lomazzo and Ferentino. Alpla's unit in Italy employs around 30