Alpla Group expands in South-East Europe with Serbian bottle closure acquisition

SERBIA — Global packaging specialist Alpla Group has strengthened its footprint in South-East Europe with the acquisition of the bottle closure production facility of Energoplast in Belgrade, Serbia.

The deal marks a strategic move to expand Alpla’s compression and injection molding capabilities and enhance supply security for regional customers.

The acquisition, completed on 1 November 2025 following legal and regulatory approvals, includes the transfer of personnel, production lines, and existing customer contracts. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 2,000-square-meter Belgrade facility manufactures polyethylene (PE) closures for the beverage sector using both compression and injection molding technology.

Miroslav Micković, General Manager at Alpla Serbia, said the transaction complements Alpla’s local operations and boosts customer responsiveness.

“Energoplast’s high-quality portfolio is the perfect addition to our business in the Serbian market and will be further enhanced by our technological expertise,” said Micković.

“This will enable us to secure supplies for our customers and provide them with immediate added value and strategic advantages in the long term.”

Alpla currently operates four plants in Serbia, two in Croatia, and one in Slovenia, producing PET preforms, closures, and containers for food, beverage, home care, and cosmetic products.

Rainer Widmar, Managing Director for Central and Eastern Europe at Alpla, said the acquisition reinforces the company’s regional integration strategy, “With this strategic move, Alpla is strengthening its presence in South-East Europe, promoting regional value creation and enabling it to meet growing demand in a targeted manner.

“This means that both local and international customers benefit equally from high-quality closure solutions and short delivery routes.”

The Serbia acquisition follows a series of international investments by Alpla aimed at expanding its production and recycling network.

Recently, the company opened a 24,000-square-meter facility in Chachoengsao, Thailand, to enhance packaging capacity across the Asia Pacific region.

In Latin America, AlplaRecycling acquired a majority stake in Clean Bottle, a Brazilian HDPE recycling company, strengthening its circular economy initiatives.

Meanwhile, in North America, Alpla invested €15 million (US$15.9 million) to establish a Learning & Development Hub in Iowa City, designed to train the next generation of packaging professionals.

Through acquisitions and new sites, Alpla continues to align its growth strategy with regional proximity, sustainability, and workforce development, reinforcing its position as a leading global provider of innovative plastic packaging and recycling solutions.

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