PUERTO RICO – Austrian plastic packaging manufacturer, ALPLA, has announced the acquisition of Puerto Rico-based packaging manufacturer Fortiflex.
Established in 1975, Fortiflex produces an extensive product range comprising over 700 items for the Central American and Caribbean markets.
The company’s facilities serve regional and global clients spanning diverse sectors, including construction, chemicals, and food.
Preceding the acquisition, the two entities have collaboratively operated since 2017, fabricating various products such as buckets, lids, crates, and tubs across locations in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.
In 2023, the partnership witnessed the installation of a new production line for buckets in Costa Rica, with future investments in the pipeline.
The acquisition aims to fortify ALPLAindustrial, ALPLA’s division established in 2023 for high-volume packaging solutions, augmenting its product offerings.
The financial intricacies of the transaction have not been disclosed, with the acquisition contract officially finalized on December 22, 2023.
ALPLA has chosen to retain all 102 employees of Fortiflex.
Carlos Torres, Managing Director of ALPLA Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, remarked: “Through the acquisition of Fortiflex, we fortify our position, broaden our portfolio, and lay the foundation for further growth in the region.
“We gain decades of experience, recognized quality, and state-of-the-art production lines. The business with industrial containers has great potential, and as a comprehensive provider, we deliver closures and decorations along with them.”
ALPLA deploys Icertis contract intelligence
In a parallel development, ALPLA has revealed plans to leverage software from contract intelligence company Icertis to enable contract automation.
The introduction of the platform transpired less than a year after ALPLA initiated a digital transformation endeavor to modernize contract management and enhance efficiency across its headquarters in Austria and its expansive network of over 177 sites in 45 countries.
Since implementing contract intelligence, ALPLA has reportedly witnessed a reduction in contract cycle time through an eSignature tool and a standardized and automated process across 12 contract configurations.
The company is also aiming for greater cohesiveness across geographies, deploying 30 bilingual and single-language contract templates to manage risk effectively and demonstrate compliance.
Dr. Christian Sparl, Head of Legal at ALPLA, commented: “Before implementation, ALPLA’s processes were disparate, and it was difficult to manage compliance during contract creation and post-signature from a global perspective.
“Now, we can automate contract creation while also centralizing data across systems to ensure transparency and compliance after the contracts are signed.”
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