Florida-based MalStra acquires Italy's OMV Machinery

Royal Palm Beach, Fla.-based MalStra LLC has acquired the Verona, Italy-based thermoforming and extrusion machinery company OMV Machinery srl, which was a division of Swiss-based Wifag/Polytype Holding AG.

The new owners — packaging industry veterans Brooke Maltun and Mark Strachan — have renamed the company OMV Technologies LLC and moved its headquarters to Florida while continuing OMV's manufacturing operations in Italy.

Founded in 1963, OMV builds machinery and offers technology for processors of rigid food packaging from traditional resins, such as polypropylene, polystyrene and PET, but has also been focused on the next generation of sustainable materials.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

All OMV employees will be retained. Strachan will serve as the CEO and Maltun will be president of OMV Technologies.

Strachan has almost 40 years of experience in sheet extrusion, roll fed thermoforming and extrusion inline thermoforming. He is a former two-term chairman of the board of the Society of Plastics Engineers' thermoforming division.

Maltun is currently the vice president of sales for Los Angeles-based Star Plastic Design Inc.

"Mark and I have spent our careers in plastic packaging, and we share a passion for the business," Maltun said in a news release. "We look forward to introducing ground-breaking innovations, hands on in-field service, and outstanding customer service to the industry, globally."

Strachan is confident OMV will increase sales in the United States and elsewhere.

"These are the most efficient and reliable thermoforming machines in the industry," Strachan said. "OMV is one of the few companies who offer turnkey inline extrusion thermoforming systems with an emphasis on efficiency and closed-loop operation."

The company also is a world leader in cut-in-place technology and inline rim rolling of round and square containers, which is critical with the drive towards more sustainable materials, Strachan said.

The company will still build machines and tooling in Italy, but the new owners said they will beefing up operations there and the United States. OMV will open an extrusion thermoforming lab, a product development lab and a training facility in Florida.

Also, all U.S.-based parts and service will be relocated from its current location in New Jersey at Polytype America Corp., which is part of Wifag/Polytype, to Florida.

In addition, Maltun said interviews are underway to add U.S. employees.

"Our headquarters is in Florida, with an office in Los Angeles, and we will be hiring additional sales and service personnel very soon," she said.