Global packaging company Alpla-Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & Co. KG is buying Fortiflex Inc. several years after the two companies began working together when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico.
Alpla, with a plant located on the south coast of the island in Guayama, was able to restore power quickly after the 2017 hurricane and took on Fortiflex's production from that company's impacted facility in Dorado on the north coast.
What was initially anticipated to be a short-term production partnership morphed over time and has now culminated in an acquisition.
Fortiflex and Alpla struck a 10-year deal in 2018 for Alpla to take over all of Fortiflex's production in Puerto Rico. That agreement included moving 12 injection molding machines from Fortiflex's site to the Alpla location, a distance of about 68 miles.
"Through the acquisition of Fortiflex, we strengthen our position, expand our portfolio, and set the stage for further growth in the region. We gain decades of experience, recognized quality and state-of-the-art production lines," said Carlos Torres, Alpla managing director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, in a statement.
Alpla also provided some perspective from the company's headquarters in Austria.
"The takeover of Fortiflex by Alpla fits into Alpla's expansion strategy in the area of large-volume containers. Last year, the Alplaindustrial brand was founded specifically for this new business area," company spokesman Erik Nielsen said in an email interview.
"Fortiflex's extensive product range includes many products that can be integrated very well into the existing product range of Alplaindustrial. We also see growth potential in new product groups," he said.
