Following approval of the transaction by the European Commission on 11 June, US blow moulder Plastipak (Plymouth, Michigan; www.plastipak.com) has completed its planned acquisition of former La Seda PET processing arm APPE (Wrexam / UK; www.appepackaging.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 27.05.2015. The company has been renamed Plastipak Packaging. The deal was one of the last sealing the end to the former empire of the Spanish company in liquidation.

Martin Hargreaves has been appointed managing director Europe for the Plastipak group, which now comprises 15 production facilities in 12 countries.

Commenting on the takeover, William C. Young, CEO of Plastipak Packaging, said the acquisition “will significantly strengthen Plastipak’s position in Europe and provide a solid platform for further growth into surrounding regions.” Young said the company’s competitive advantage includes Packaging Innovation Centres, which supply and service its Direct Object Printing systems, ThermoShape and ThermaLite technologies, multi-layer barrier containers and E-PET with fully integrated handles.

“Through combining APPE’s strong technical innovations and the global technology reach of Plastipak, we will better serve our customers’ global product needs and facilitate our expansion into new markets,” said Frank Pollock, Plastipak’s president of international operations and CCO.