Extrusion International 1-2022

16 Extrusion International 1/2022 INDUSTRY NEWS „ Piovan S.p.A. and IPEG, Inc. announced the signing of an agreement providing for the acquisition by Piovan of 100% of the outstanding shares of IPEG, a U.S. industrial group comprised of the four brands Conair, Thermalcare, Pelletron and Republic Machine. The combined group will have a workforce of more than 1,800 employees and will operate 14 facilities worldwide, and would have generated pro-forma sales of over €450 million (on the basis of the results for the twelve months ended 30 September 2021). “We are particularly pleased and proud to combine our skills with those of the IPEG Group, creating the global leader in industrial automation in the plastics sector. Two years ahead of schedule, we have doubled our size since the year of the IPO and we are con fi dently prepared to meet future chal- lenges and to take advantage of any further aggregation opportunities that may arise.” – says Nicola Piovan, Execu- tive Chairman of the Piovan Group. “The acquisition of such an important American player and the merger of two of the largest companies in the world in the fi eld of industrial automation for the processing of Acquisition Piovan S.p.A. www.piovangroup.com virgin and recycled polymers and bioresins will allow us to achieve important growth opportunities on a global scale.” – states Filippo Zuppichin, CEO Piovan Group – “It will also allow Piovan Group to access a formidable customer base in North America, with the possibility - thanks to the interna- tional set up of Piovan Group - to follow the investments of the main American multinational corporations in the world. Moreover, it will allow a faster rollout to the American mar- ket of the Group’s proprietary technologies particularly in the circular economy. We are convinced that this transaction will create great value for our shareholders”. The new size will enable further growth in the area of the circular economy and investments in digitisation 4.0. The Group will continue to pursue its strategy of putting its cus- tomers, its people and a constant approach to innovation fi rst. Investments in Sustainable Film Solutions Expanded „ The RKWGroup focuses on the requirements of its custom- ers and is investing in modern facilities at several sites in order to be able to offer future-proof, sustainable solutions. The company will focus on so-called MDO packaging for the food industry. With these innovative solutions, the RKW Group is making a measurable contribution to strengthening the circu- lar economy, becauseMDO fi lms are 100 percent recyclable. RKWhas many years of experiencewithMDO technology and is now transferring this into sustainable and safe packaging solutions for food. To this end, the globally active fi lm special- ist is expanding its production capacities. With investments in the mid-double-digit million euro range, RKW is not only strengthening its respective sites with newequipment and the right solutions, but also enabling its customers to help shape their own growth. “We offer materials that meet the needs for lower carbon footprint, higher recyclability as well as the use of more re- cycled plastics,” said Mussie Berhane, Vice President Sales & Marketing Packaging & Industrial. There is great demand for sustainable plastic packaging, es- pecially in the beverage and food packaging sector. RKW is Food is safely andhygienicallyprotected inRKWHorizonbrand packaging. TheMDO-basedPEpackaging is fully recyclable HQ inSantaMariadi Sala (VE - Italy) FilippoZuppichin, CEOPiovan Group NicolaPiovan, Executive Chairmanof PiovanGroup