Packaging specialist Alpla Group has announced the acquisition of Mansfield, UK-based packaging design and manufacturing firm iTec Packaging. Terms and conditions of the deal were not disclosed. iTec, which specialises in the production of closures mainly for dairy, but also food and beverage sectors, and its sister site iTEC Packaging (Chester-Le-Street) Limited, had been placed into administration in April 2023 following financial pressures caused by difficult trading conditions. Last month, the Chester-Le-Street business was sold to Shalam Packaging Group. Now that a buyer has been found for the Mansfield business, nearly 200 jobs have been saved across both sites. All employees at the Mansfield plant will be retained.
For Alpla, the takeover will enable it to expand its expertise as a packaging system provider on the UK market. The company will further promote the use of post-consumer recycled material in the closure sector and strive to offer complete solutions with a high recycled content - one example of which is its Eco-Bottle, currently made from up to 40% food-grade rHDPE.
"With our global know-how, with this acquisition we can increasingly offer the UK dairy industry sustainable, efficient and innovative packaging solutions,” said UK managing director Jens Seifried.
The takeover was contractually agreed on 26 May 2023.