North America's largest film and sheet maker is getting even bigger.
Inteplast Group is acquiring CoolSeal USA LLC, a maker of polypropylene corrugated sheeting and boxes made from those sheets in Perrysburg, Ohio.
CoolSeal now comes under Inteplast Group's World-Pak Division, the company said.
Andy Chen is general manager of World-Pak. He said CoolSeal's work in producing PP corrugated boards fits with Inteplast's existing business serving produce, warehousing, packaging and storage.
"Its commitment to developing sustainable and recyclable products aligns with our stance on supporting supply chains that eliminate or otherwise encourage reusability and less waste," Chen said in a statement. "With CoolSeal on our team, World-Pak and Inteplast Group, by extension, will expand our collective contributions to a circular economy beyond the industries, customers, and communities we serve."
CoolSeal USA serves the agricultural, fish, construction, automotive, horticulture, education, pharmaceutical, recreation and meat and poultry segments.
CoolSeal USA President Taber "Tab" Hinkle is also general manager at the company plant in Northwest Ohio.
"Inteplast has made significant strides in packaging and will allow us to offer our customers more resources and options without sacrificing quality. We are a technologically driven company with an eye toward best practices in eco-friendly and recyclable storage products," he said in a statement.
"Inteplast Group supports our vision for a future where each step in the supply chain contributes to less environmental waste and more value for our customers," Hinkle said.
Inteplast CEO John Young, who founded the company, sees similarities between the two firms.
"The CoolSeal USA brand is associated with technology, customization, and ecological advancement in packaging. For more than 30 years, Inteplast Group has integrated this trifecta into our manufacturing practices as we've served communities throughout North America. We are excited to work with Tab and our new colleagues at CoolSeal." Inteplast CEO John Young said in a statement.
CoolSeal USA opened operations in 2013 and was founded by formerly owned by Hinkle and Tri-pack Packaging Systems Ltd. of Grimsby, England, Hinkle said in an email exchange.
CoolSeal USA was a separate entity in the United States, owned by Hinkle and minority partner Tri-pack before the sale of the entire company to Inteplast.
"Tri-pack will continue to supply and develop the European market ... while CoolSeal USA will continue to supply and develop the North American market as they have been but now under the Inteplast Group Umbrella," Hinkle explained in an email.
Inteplast ranks No. 1 in the latest Plastics News listing of film and sheet producers in North America with estimated annual sales of $3.45 billion in 2023.