Philadelphia-based Oliver Healthcare Packaging Co. has acquired Germany-based film and foil technology company, EK-Pack Folien GmbH, including its Switzerland-based subsidiary, Vacopack H. Buchegger AG.
"EK-Pack will continue to operate as it is now, with current leadership in place," Katie Scharff, director of marking and communications for EK-Pack, told Plastics News in an emailed statement.
"We are thrilled to see this partnership come to fruition," Michael Benevento, president and CEO of Oliver Healthcare Packaging, said in a June 29 news release. "This acquisition gives us greater control over our supply chain and allows us to innovate new products."
The deal includes EK-Pack's almost 250,000-square-foot facility in Ermengerst-Wiggensbach, Germany, which has eight production lines making multilayer film and foil laminations. The 55,400-square-foot Vacopack facility manufactures bag packaging.
"In recent years, we have invested heavily in the European region to better support our customer base," Benevento said. "This vertical integration is a strategic way to build scale and flexibility while in-sourcing many of our packaging materials."
The deal also adds 250 new employees to Oliver's team, Scharff said.
This acquisition is Oliver's latest in a series of multimillion-dollar investments in Europe. In late June, the company hosted a grand opening celebration of an expansion at its manufacturing facility in Venray, Netherlands. The expansion doubled its manufacturing footprint in the region, Scharff added.
Oliver has also invested in programs to regionalize its supply chain, add additional converting equipment and automation technology, it said.
Oliver Healthcare Packaging supplies sterile barrier packaging solutions for the global health care market. Oliver has manufacturing and technical facilities in California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ireland, Singapore, China and the Netherlands. Oliver is also constructing new manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and Costa Rica expected to be operational in 2024 and 2025 respectively.