Beyond The Headlines: KHS expands bottle production, ProAmpac earns packaging award
This week in industry news, KHS Group acquired Tyrolon-Schulnig, while ProAmpac and Hinjosa were awarded for their packaging innovations. In food packaging, Berry Global and Stora Enso designed pudding pots for Valio, and Smurfit Westrock UK’s Poppin Candy design went viral online.
In brief: Expansions and acquisitions
KHS Group expanded its PET and glass bottle handling expertise by acquiring the majority share in Tyrolon-Schulnig, an Austrian specialist for active bottle grippers. Tyrolon-Schulnig is known for the development and production of its Tyrolon Star system, which enables gentle, efficient and versatile conveying of bottles and other containers of various shapes and sizes. Martin Resch, managing director of the KHS Group, said that the acquisition is an “excellent” strategy to develop the company’s knowledge further, giving its customers “significant added value” with systems and solutions from a single source.
TriMas Packaging unveiled a new 225,000 square feet facility in Haining, China. Last year, TriMas decided to exit two of its already existing facilities in China and consolidate them into a single, new facility with advanced capabilities to improve its customer service across China and other Asian markets. The company describes the site as highly automated, equipped with advanced injection molding and assembly capabilities, autonomous robots including Automated Guided Vehicles, robotic auto palletizing and a specialized Warehouse Management System. These aim to streamline material handling processes, reduce labor expenses, minimize safety risks and support sustainability goals.
ProAmpac’s fiber-based HandRap Packaging (Image credit: ProAmpac).Nova acquired Sentronics Metrology to expand its dimensional metrology portfolio in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately US$60 million. The acquisition is subject to regulatory conditions and approvals and is expected to close within the first quarter of 2025. Sentronics Metrology is a global provider of wafer metrology tools for backend semiconductor fabrication. The addition of Sentronics’ technology to Nova’s dimensional metrology portfolio will allow Nova to diversify its wafer-level packaging and specialty device offerings.
Ardagh Glass Packaging expanded its Peak bottle collection by introducing two new 12 oz glass bottles. The collection now includes their 12 oz Clear Peak bottles in flint (clear) glass, the new 12 oz Emerald Peak in green glass and the new 12 oz Amber Peak in brown glass. These are now available for purchase on the company’s BOB (BuyOurBottles) website. The Peak collection twist-off bottles are made from high-quality glass and designed and manufactured in the US. The Peak bottle collection promises versatility for producers of carbonated or noncarbonated beverages, including beer, kombucha, iced coffee, soda or juice.
In brief: Partnerships and awards
ProAmpac’s fiber-based HandRap Packaging earned the Cartonboard Pack of the Year award at the prestigious 2024 UK Packaging Awards, alongside five other packaging award nominations. The Pret Hong Kong RecycAll HandRap range was developed for Pret a Manger’s cold food-to-go, like baguettes and wraps. It is a fully recyclable, all-fiber packaging solution that is responsible for Hong Kong’s ban on single-use plastics. ProAmpac’s senior vice president of the EU fiber division, Graham Williams, expressed the company’s “unwavering commitment” to its customers’ sustainability goals and its “mission to make a lasting impact in the UK market.”
Hinojosa was granted a new EcoVadis sustainability gold medal, achieving a better score than 97% of companies evaluated. The Spanish provider specializing in the design and manufacture of sustainable packaging solutions received its third gold medal and best score to date as a result of its improvements in ensuring the protection of the environment, labor practices and human rights. It is committed to emission reduction targets and to achieving the Net-Zero Standard in 2050, as part of the Science Based Target initiative.
Smurfit Westrock UK’s custom bespoke printed postal box packaging for Poppin Candy (Image credit: Smurfit Westrock).Smurfit Westrock UK said its custom bespoke printed postal box packaging for Poppin Candy helped the brand go viral online. The pizza-style box design is easy to open and features details and colors that showcase the brand identity. Smurfit Westrock overlapped layers of ink to achieve the desired design that sufficiently corresponds to Poppin Candy’s branding and target audience. The logo cascades over the sides of the boxes, which requires precision printing to ensure a wrap-around effect.
Berry Global partnered with Swedish and Finnish provider of sustainable packaging Stora Enso to create a custom Berry’s CombiLight pot for the PROfeel protein puddings by the Finnish food brand Valio. CombiLight is made from a plastic skeleton and carton sleeve melted together to create a strong hybrid packaging. Valio has now switched its quark products to the CombiLight. New coating with enhanced barrier properties to ensure optimal shelf life is needed for its puddings.
