Alpha Packaging (St. Louis, Missouri / USA; www.alphap.com) said it is expanding into Europe with the opening of its first European production facility in Roosendaal / The Netherlands. The company will initially produce high-cavitation blow moulding machines for nutritional supplement PET packer-style bottles, which it said represent the bulk of its products sold to international customers. The machines and moulds, which will be supplied from the US, are expected to be operational by mid-May

In addition, Alpha said it has acquired the assets of SmartPET (www.smartpet.nl), a Netherlands-based blow moulder of PET bottles and jars that recently entered the liquidation process. The SmartPET acquisition will speed up Alpha’s timeline for producing narrow-neck liquid PET bottles, explained Alpha CEO Dave Spence. “The opportunity to capture immediate business in the personal care and OTC [over-the-counter] liquid markets is significant,” he said.

Alpha, which specialises in the production of HDPE and PET bottles and jars, said it has already begun moving the SmartPET machines and moulds to the new Roosendaal facility. The company has had a dedicated sales force and warehouse in The Netherlands for over five years, located in Wijchen.