PACKAGING BRIEFS Tuesday, Jan. 3

Avery Dennison sells office products business to 3M
Avery Dennison Corp. is selling its office products business to 3M Co. for approximately $550 million in cash. "The sale of our Office and Consumer Products business to 3M presents the best opportunity to maximize OCP's value for Avery Dennison's shareholders, and complements 3M's global portfolio," says Dean A. Scarborough, Avery Dennison chairman, president and CEO. "Our industry-leading Pressure-sensitive Materials and Retail Branding and Information Solutions businesses, combined with our strong balance sheet, make us well positioned for profitable growth and increased return of cash to shareholders." Avery Dennison intends to use the proceeds from the transaction primarily to reduce debt, make additional pension contributions, and repurchase shares. This transaction will not negatively impact the Company's common stock dividend.

DuPont sells Liqui-Box Corp.
DuPont has sold its Liqui-Box Corp. bag-in-box business to The Sterling Group, a private equity firm. Based in Worthington, OH, Liqui-Box provides bag-in-box flexible packaging to the global dairy, beverage and bulk-food markets; it also supplies rigid plastic water bottles and pouches. Its product line comprises filling machines and consumables, such as fitmented bags and pouch films.

Gateway Packaging promotes Abuaita to CEO
Omar Abuaita has been named CEO of Gateway Packaging He assumes that role from Roger Miller, who will retain his title as chairman. Abuaita joined the company in June as president and COO after 23 years with packing company Sonoco Products. Miller, Gateway's founder and CEO for 30 years, had also held the president's title prior to Abuaita joining the company; Miller will take part in identifying acquisitions and continue providing ongoing leadership and strategic direction.

Peninsula Packaging acquires Packaging Plus thermoforming division
Peninsula Packaging Company LLC (a provider of thermoformed plastic packaging products) has acquired the agricultural thermoforming division of Berkley Operations LLC, dba Packaging Plus. Ed Byrne, CEO of Peninsula Packaging, says, "This transaction enhances the service offering for our customers by expanding our geographic footprint and increasing the breadth of our product offering. We are very excited to begin working with the team at the agricultural thermoforming division."

Cardia Bioplastics and Polyden Folien, partner on sustainable packaging films
Polyden Folien has launched its range of packaging films made with Cardia's Biohybrid technology, designed to meet high performance standards. The Biohybrid proprietary technology combines renewable thermoplastics with polyethylene material to reduce dependence on finite oil resources and to reduce carbon footprint. Polyden Folien Managing Director Peter Moser says, "Our packaging products made from Biohybrid resins will form an integral part of our responsible packaging offering. We are looking forward to presenting our customers the Biohybrid packaging films, in particular for shrink film applications."

Ardagh Group acquires Boxal Group
Ardagh Group has agreed to acquire the business of aluminium container firm Boxal from Exal Corp. Boxal supplies aluminium aerosols and bottles to a wide variety of industries including cosmetics, pharmaceutical, food and beverages, and it has manufacturing plants in France and the Netherlands. Its customers include L'Oreal, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Dove, Pantene and Nivea. Niall Wall, Ardagh Group CEO, says, "The acquisition of Boxal will assist us in further diversifying into the aluminium can market, enhance our product offering and add value to our current activities."

Appleton Coated achieves Green Master award
Coated paper supplier Appleton Coated has earned "Green Master" designation from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. As a Green Master, Appleton Coated has performed actions in each of nine sustainability areas and has scored in the top 20 percent of all participating companies. "Appleton Coated has implemented creative strategies which define them as a leader in sustainability," says Tom Eggert, executive director of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. "Appleton Coated has made going green personal in terms of their strategy. They've adopted environmental and social programs that benefit their communities, employees and their customers."

AGI World, Shorewood Packaging complete merger
Consumer products packaging firm AGI's private equity-owner Atlas Holdings announced that regulators have approved its agreement with Shorewood owner International Paper to combine the two consumer packaging businesses. Under the terms of the deal, announced in August, Atlas now owns 100 percent of the combined AGI-Shorewood in the US, and 60 percent of its overseas business. International Paper will own the remaining 40 percent interest in AGI-Shorewood outside the US. Mike Ukropina, CEO of AGI-Shorewood, says, "We intend to be recognised as the best global specialty-packaging business in our markets." In addition, Lucy Tzou, CEO of AGI-Shorewood Global Gravure and Asia, announced that company is to invest $7 million to expand its plant in Guangzhou, China.

Rockwell Automation, J.B. Titus provide free safety ROI tool
Rockwell Automation has developed the free Safety Return on Investment Tool with J.B. Titus, a machine safety consultant and owner of J.B. Titus & Associates. The web-based tool is designed to addresses manufacturers' need to quantify potential savings and productivity gains from new investments in safety. The Safety ROI Tool relies on a basic calculation: benefits divided by costs equals ROI. To help simplify the previously complicated process of assessing those costs and benefits, the tool combines injury and productivity data and collects input from users in five categories: estimated project amount, i.e., cost of controls, software, installation and training; overall equipment effectiveness, based on increases in machine availability because of reduced unscheduled downtime and increases in manufacturing output; increased capital-asset depreciation; direct injury costs, such as medical expenses, wages and worker's compensation costs; indirect injury costs, e.g., regulatory noncompliance fines and repair costs. Access the Safety ROI Tool here.

Packaging thermoformer Mullinix acquired by private equity firm
Private equity firm Mason Wells has acquired thermoformed packaging manufacturer Mullinix Packages Inc. from the family of its founder, SPE's 2008 Thermoformer of the Year, George Lueken, who passed away at the age of 82 in June. Mullinix extrudes and forms CPET, APET and PP sheet into clamshells, trays, cups and lids for the food processing, retail and restaurant industries. In 2010, it added an 80,000-sq-ft plant in Miami Lakes, FL, joining its headquarters and original site in Ft. Wayne, IN, which has 200,000-sq-ft of manufacturing and 200,000-sq-ft of warehouse and distribution space.
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