IMA Group expands pharma and personal care pack market presence with Italian acquisition

06 Aug 2024 --- IMA Group has completed the acquisition of Sarong’s Packaging Materials and Packaging Machinery divisions, located in Reggiolo, Italy, to strengthen its capabilities and market presence.

The newly established IMA Sarong will allow the company to offer comprehensive packaging solutions, especially for the pharmaceutical and personal care markets.

Sarong is a manufacturer of automatic form, fill and seal (FFS) packaging lines, a converter of packaging materials and a supplier of empty suppository containers. The company is a large industry player, with almost 70% of the installed capacity for suppository machinery. 

Innovation, expansion and sustainability
Sarong owns almost 60 patents for machines and final products that it has developed in its R&D department over the years.

Sarong’s product range includes suppositories and vaginal ovules, thermoformed unit doses for vitamins, nutraceuticals, probiotics, syrups, ointments, and creams, along with doses for veterinary and pet care products and ultra-clean products.

The Pharma Business Unit remains one of the Sarong’s core sectors.With the integration of Sarong’s divisions, IMA Group enhances its product portfolio, particularly through the IMA Safe cartoning machines and the IMA End of Line Hub. This acquisition enables IMA to offer complete packaging lines, ensuring integration and enhanced operational efficiency.

IMA emphasizes that sustainability and digital transformation are “two sides of the same coin,” capable of positively impacting business and the environment. 

Sarong is also embracing similar ideas and is actively exploring sustainable raw materials, such as recyclable plastics, compostable resins, recycled aluminum content and PVC-free lacquers.

Sarong’s Synergy 
Sarong has gained extensive experience as a manufacturer and converter. The Packaging Materials division of Sarong is converting and selling films and foils for suppositories and ovules. This division also excels in producing rigid thermoforming films for liquid and semi-liquid pharmaceutical applications.

Sarong’s Packaging Machinery division is renowned for its expertise in designing, manufacturing, and selling automatic thermoforming FFS packaging machines. The machines are said to be designed for optimal performance and sustainability. 

The division has progressively expanded its offerings to include FFS packaging lines for various production scales, ranging from 6,000 to 30,000 suppositories or ovules per hour, packed with plastic films or aluminum foils. 

Sarong’s machinery also supports unit-dose packaging for pharmaceutical liquids and semi-liquids. These machines are designed to comply with regulatory standards, ensuring performance, durability and quality.