Berry Global Group Inc., one of the largest plastics processors in North America, has consolidated the tooling operations it acquired over the years and launched Berry Global Tooling Services.
Founded in 1967, the Evansville, Ind.-based packaging and product maker grew largely by acquisition over the decades and recently posted annual sales of $14.5 billion.
However, the focus now is on organic growth, and for tooling, to create mold for products in-house and closer to their end use.
Berry officials said consolidating global tooling operations will create one comprehensive source of expertise while maintaining regional insights and local support. The change will give the company's current and future customers access to a full suite of tooling capabilities, including injection, blow, compression and thermoforming molds that can be integrated into their existing product orders.
"Many companies rely on independent tooling shops to develop their tooling as it requires a niche skill set and understanding of regional packaging regulations," Kevin Pennington, vice president of Berry's Global Tooling and Automation, said in a news release. "Berry Global Tooling Services eliminates the need for a third-party tooling manufacturer by providing a one-stop-shop for tooling and converting services at a global scale with regional expertise."
At Berry, molds will be developed at one of the company's tooling facilities and transported to a nearby Berry manufacturing facility where production takes place.
The release says Berry has at least 10 global tooling manufacturing locations in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa including tooling operations in Evansville; Lohne and Mosel, Germany; Warsaw; KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; and ShaTou, ShangHai, ZhuHai and HeFei, China.
With the consolidation, Berry customers should benefit from faster turnarounds by eliminating potential back and forth with third-party tooling manufacturers and have greater assurance that the molds will match appropriately with the production lines Berry works on every day.
The new tooling division also will help customers reduce shipping costs and lead times; improve access to refurbishment options, reverse engineering expertise and emergency repairs; and minimize risk to compromising intellectual property.
"The experts across our business are dedicated to meeting the needs of customers, regardless of their location or product specifications. As a converter, we understand the high-quality end products our customers expect," Pennington said.