SPAIN – Irish corrugated packaging company, Smurfit Kappa has agreed to acquire Pusa Pack, a bag-in-box packaging plant in Spain.
Located in Onda, Valencia, Pusa Pack S.L. specialises in the manufacture of large-capacity flexible bags, sized from 200 to 1500 litres.
These bags are used for the storage and transport of bulk food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and other liquid and semi-liquid products. Pusa Pack will be integrated into Smurfit Kappa’s Bag-in-Box operations in Spain.
Commenting on the acquisition, Thierry Minaud, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box, said: “Heavy-duty packaging is evolving towards more environmentally friendly solutions.
“We increasingly see the trend of companies moving away from plastic or stainless steel intermediate bulk containers (IBC) in favour of much more sustainable corrugated solutions which have a considerably lower carbon footprint.
“It makes perfect sense – if we compare a Smurfit Kappa IBC made of fully recyclable, biodegradable and renewable corrugated with a rigid plastic container, we see an 87% reduction in plastic weight, significant supply chain optimisation, elimination of cleaning requirements and shelf life extension for the product when aseptic filling technology is applied.”
In addition to strengthening Smurfit Kappa’s Bag-in-Box portfolio, the deal is expected to help the two firms develop a robust supply chain and create market synergies.
Smurfit Kappa said customers in the retail and industrial sectors who are looking for bag-in-box solutions in different formats will also benefit from the deal.
The company’s Bag-in-Box division offers high-quality, large-capacity bags and corrugated cardboard containers through its sales office in Liquiwell, Germany.
Pascual Martinez, General Manager of Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box Ibi, added: “This acquisition will strengthen Smurfit Kappa’s Bag-in-Box portfolio and create strong supply chain and market synergies between the two companies.
“This acquisition will also be of great benefit for customers, especially those who have demand for bag-in-box solutions in different formats, for example retail and industrial use.”
Vicente Salvá, previous owner of Pusa Pack, said: “We are glad to join Smurfit Kappa Group, it will definitely bring a lot of opportunities to our company.”
Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box has been active in the heavy-duty packaging market since 2002 supplying high quality large-capacity bags and corrugated cardboard containers through its sales office in Liquiwell, Germany.
Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box is the European leader for Bag-in-Box solutions and its Vitop tap is number one worldwide for wine taps.
In September, the Irish company also acquired PaperBox packaging plant in Brazil, expanding its portfolio in the South American continent.
With this plant plant, Smurfit Kappa will benefit from the country’s market base as it is of the largest corrugated cardboard markets in Latin America, recording 7.4 billion m2 in annual production.
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