Film and bag maker Primary Packaging Inc. has acquired Packaging Horizons Corp. for an undisclosed price.
Primary Packaging of Bolivar, Ohio, makes heavy-duty film and bags for industrial and retail markets. Easton, Pa.-based Packaging Horizons makes tamper evident security bags.
In a Dec. 18 phone interview, Primary Packaging President Jeff Thrams said that Primary Packaging will continue to operate Packaging Horizons' manufacturing site in Easton. Primary Packaging employs more than 100 at its 100,000-square-foot plant in Bolivar.
Richard Markey, former president of Packaging Horizons, added that the transaction "is an extremely exciting opportunity for the Packaging Horizons organization and its customers."
Primary Packaging officials said that Packaging Horizons is "a pioneer in the development of tamper evident security packaging." The firm was founded in 1974 as a maker of polyethylene bags and has developed into a multiprocess converter. In addition to making Alert Security Bags with tamper-evident technology, Packaging Horizons prints security overwrap films for pharmaceutical, medical and food packaging.
Officials said that with the acquisition, Primary Packaging builds on its expertise in PE extrusion and film production by expanding its product offering of PE bags.
"The tamper-evident technology developed by Packaging Horizons is exceptional, and our manufacturing capabilities will infuse additional efficiencies into this niche business," Thrams said.
He added that the acquisition "was the perfect complement to our current operations. … Our talented team will bring additional operational excellence and creativity to identify new opportunities for growth."
Primary Packaging's film and bags are used in applications such as fertilizer, salt, sand, rock and fiberglass insulation markets. The firm's multi-layer blown film extrusion department can make up to a three-layer heavy-duty film containing UV protection, anti-block, anti-skid and anti-static additives in any film color with a wide range of gauge capabilities.
Primary Packaging is owned by Northbrook, Ill.-based Field Packaging Solutions, a self-funded private family office that makes acquisitions and investments "for the long term with no exit strategy," according to its website. Field has more than 75 years of packaging industry expertise and acquires, invests in and operates small to medium-sized manufacturing businesses in various segments of the packaging industry.
Field executive Ben Kaplan said Dec. 18 that the firm "is always open to new opportunities" in packaging and is looking to make more acquisitions.
Kaplan added that there were "unique challenges" to closing the Packaging Horizons deal during the Covid-19 pandemic, but that those challenges were "nothing we couldn't overcome."
Field's investments include PE extrusion and bag converting, adhesive laminating and flexible packaging, and specialty label conversion. Field's other holdings include flexible packaging maker Momar Industries of Reno, Nev., and label makers Label Arts and Labelmart of Sioux Falls, S.D.