Packaging news roundup October: JBT Corporation; Flexicon; Ball; Sacmi

By Jenny Eagle

- Last updated on GMT

Club Coffee's PurPod100 recently won the ‘Innovation in Bioplastics Award’ by the US Plastics Industry Trade Association.
Club Coffee's PurPod100 recently won the ‘Innovation in Bioplastics Award’ by the US Plastics Industry Trade Association.
Johnson Matthey has partnered with Cranfield University to develop modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for prolonged storage and improved management of fresh produce through the supply chain.

The work will focus on delivering ideal gaseous conditions at the optimum time in the packaging, allowing for prolonged storage and improved management of fresh produce.

The collaboration is part of a three-year project that has received a grant of £275,733 ($342,000) from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Innovate UK.

Johnson Matthey's Atmosphere Control Technologies business develops, manufactures and supplies modified atmosphere and modified humidity fresh produce packaging.

JBT Corporation to acquire Tipper Tie

JBT Corporation has signed an agreement to buy Tipper Tie for $160m, expected to close in Q4 2016.

Tipper Tie provides processing and packaging for the food industry and is headquartered in Apex, North Carolina, with four global manufacturing sites.

Tom Giacomini, CEO, JBT, said the addition of Tipper Tie expands JBT's protein platform and its relationships with major food processors in the US and Europe will grow the company's presence in Asia and Latin America.

The company also has a large installed equipment base that generates high recurring revenues from consumables and aftermarket parts sales​," he added. 

Flexicon has opened an office in Germany

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Flexicon (Europe) has opened an office in Aschaffenburg, Germany, to provide factory-direct engineering services and technical sales support.

Keith Bourton, MD, Flexicon, said the office will allow for the firm’s rapid growth in the region by providing a dedicated German-language staff with full access to corporate resources.

The Aschaffenburg office is headed by Christian Löchler, regional sales manager, who has 20 years of experience in plastics processing, compounding and recycling, most recently as a sales/project engineer for a consultancy specializing in gravimetric and volumetric dosing for granulates, powders and liquids.

Löchler will be responsible for building relationships with plant engineers, managers and other equipment specifiers in facilities that handle bulk solid materials across the food, pharmaceutical, mineral, plastics and general chemical industries.

Flexicon (Europe) is located in Whitstable, Kent, UK, and is a fully-owned subsidiary of Flexicon Corporation, Pennsylvania, US.

Nagel Česko launches food logistics centre 

Nagel Česko has launched a 5,200m² food logistics centre in Říčany-Jažlovice, near Prague, creating 30 jobs, after outgrowing its existing facility.

The facility is designed as a storage facility for dry goods, because the volume of business in product segments such as wine, spirits and preserves has significantly increased.

We have grown by around 10% in each of the past three years - in both existing business and with new customers. So our previous capacity was no longer sufficient​,” said Jan Hyťha, MD, Nagel Česko.

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Next year, we plan to further expand refrigeration capacity at our sites. Over the next two years we expect further growth, which will probably also be in the order of 10%​.”

The Czech subsidiary of the Versmold-based Nagel-Group, which launched in the Czech market in 2004, has expanded its warehousing capacity by around 4,600m² and 5,900 pallet spaces and has three sites in Říčany-Jažlovice and Želatovice.

Říčany-Jažlovice is also the home of the Group’s FTL (Full Truck Load) network, which handles direct full loads, both national and international, between production works or between factories and retailers.

The temperature range in which Nagel Česko provides all its services goes from zero to plus 21 degrees, and covers the four core areas of ultra-fresh, fresh, ambient and dry goods. The frozen segment (minus 18 degrees or colder) is not currently offered in the Czech Republic, but remains an option if specifically requested.

Ball to sell US tin manufacturing facility

Ball Corporation has agreed to sell its specialty tin manufacturing facility in Baltimore, Maryland, to US-based Independent Can Company (ICC) for approximately $25m, with the deal expected to close in Q4 2016.

Jim Peterson, COO, food and aerosol packaging, Ball, said, while parting with employees is difficult, the Baltimore plant is an ideal complement to ICC's specialty tin can-focused business.

He added the agreement will help Ball to better align with its strategic focus on food and aerosol packaging.

The Baltimore plant employs approximately 50 people and manufactures specialty and custom tinplate cans for applications from cosmetics to promotional items.

Ball acquired the plant in 2006 as part of the company's acquisition of US Can Corporation.

Multivac breaks ground on Bulgaria production site

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Multivac enjoyed a ground-breaking ceremony for its Bulgaria production site recently, which will create more than 150 jobs in the region.

The 20,000m² facility on Industrial Zone Bozhurishte will house production for parts, components for packaging machines, warehouse, logistics, training and an admin center.

The first phase of the €18.8m ($21m) investment will become operational by September 2017 with plans to include a center for shared IT services, strategic sourcing and R&D department.

Christian Traumann, CFO, Multivac, said thanks to the professional support of National Company Industry Zones EAD as well as the Bulgarian Investment Agency, the investment is on schedule.

Sacmi installs metal cap production line at Pelliconi Group

Sacmi has installed a metal cap production line for the Pelliconi Groupin Ozzano dell’Emilia near Bologna, thanks to a growing demand in China for ergonomic-grip aluminum disposable caps.

The lines will produce a Maxi P-26 pull closure with both a cap and liner and apply an ergonomic-grip pull ring.

Designed to ensure output rates of 1,200 caps/hour the production line consists of a vertical press in which metal sheets are made into caps and a downstream PMV unit that applies the liner.

An RCM machine moulds and applies the plastic ring with tab, and can be made in different colors (the decoration can also extend to the cap, made of an organoleptically neutral material suitable for beer, soft and energy drinks).

Ahlstrom signs North American single-serve coffee market deal

Ahlstrom has signed a multi-year agreement with Club Coffee to supply its compostable infusion material for single-serve coffee pods.

The contract is a major breakthrough for Ahlstrom in the fast-growing North American market for single-serve coffee.  

Ahlstrom will supply its biodegradable polylactic acid-based (PLA) product made from corn starch to the Canadian roaster and packaged coffee products company, which uses the material in its PurPod100 packaging.

"This achievement has taken a lot effort and dedication from our team, and is a perfect example of how we are executing our strategic roadmap by seeking growth via new platforms with innovative products​," said Omar Hoek, executive VP, Ahlstrom's Specialties business.

Club Coffee's PurPod100 recently won the ‘Innovation in Bioplastics Award’ by the US Plastics Industry Trade Association.

The product offers consumers a single-serve coffee packaging that breaks down in composting facilities in five weeks.

In the US, single-serve retail coffee sales grew by 319% between 2011 and 2015, reaching $4.6bn in revenue in 2015.

Ahlstrom produces PLA-based materials, which can be also used in tea bags and other food packaging, at its plant in Chirnside, UK.

Saxco acquires Brick Packaging Corporation

Saxco International has acquired Brick Packaging Corporation, which distributes rigid packaging for the liquor, wine, beer and food industries, based in Traverse City, Michigan, US.

Matthew Malenfant, CEO Saxco International, said the deal will enhance its strategy for custom packaging services to the wine industry in Michigan and surrounding Midwestern states.

The Brick Packaging team brings with it a solid and highly notable expertise in packaging for the wine industry that smoothly blends with our model. We look forward to integrating that expertise with the Saxco scale and services to bring even greater value to our mutual customers​,” he said.

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