Reflex Packaging Group, a maker of thermoformed packaging cushioning, has a new owner.
Nefab Group AB of Jönjöping, Sweden, acquired Reflex, which is based in Santa Ana, Calif., and has 16 production sites serving customers around the world.
Reflex uses recycled plastic, including ocean-bound material, to create the company's thermoformed packaging cushions.
Reflex founder Forrest Smith said joining with Nefab will allow his company to continue to grow.
"Their value proposition to reduce costs and environmental impact, on a global scale, is the ideal platform for expansion of Reflex Packaging's products," Smith said in a statement.
Along with making Reflex Cushions, the company also offers other packaging services including pallets, foam, bags and corrugated materials.
"The market demand for sustainable cushioning solutions in industrial packaging is increasing fast. Reflex Packaging's state-of-the-art cushioning trays, made from 100 percent recycled and ocean-bound plastic, combined with Nefab's global presence, will make sustainable cushioning solutions available for the market worldwide," Nefab CEO Staffan Pehrson said in a statement.
This deal for Reflex follows the earlier acquisition of Szkaliczki Plastic Processing in Oroshaza, Hungary, in 2020. The latest move "positions Nefab to be the world's leading company in sustainable thermoformed cushioning. Nefab will now be better equipped to address customer demands in high growth markets" including electronics, data, telecommunications and lithium batteries, the company said.
"Our customers are demanding more cost efficient and sustainable supply chains, and the use of thermoformed cushioning enables significant savings — both in cost and CO2 emissions. As an example, compared to foam, Reflex Packaging's cushioning typically has 50 percent lower CO2 output, better box shipping ratios, and saves up to 85 percent in shipping and warehouse space," Pehrson said.
The purchase of Reflex adds more than 200 employees to Nefab, which now has more than 4,000 employees in 35 countries.
Reflex locations are in Santa Ana and San Jose, Calif.; Chicago; South Bridge, Mass.; Irving, Texas; Duiven, Netherlands; Kunshan, Wuxi and Dongguan, China; Chonburi, Thailand; Johor, Malaysia; Singapore; Calamba, Philippines; São Paulo, Brazil; and Guadalajara, Mexico.