TricorBraun (Fairfield, California / USA; www.tricorbraun.com), one of the largest distributors of glass and plastic rigid packaging in North America, with its own design and manufacturing capability, has changed private equity hands for an undisclosed sum. Buyer is AEA Investors (New York, New York / USA; www.aeainvestors.com), seller CHS Capital (CHS, Chicago, Illinois / USA; www.chsonline.com. The business, built up through acquisition since the 1990s as part of a consolidation wave in the industry (see also Plasteurope.com of 20.04.2016), specialises in containers and closures, along with tubes for products such as wine. The company also operates an advisory service that includes preliminary planning and global sourcing, packaging consultation, repacking and manufacturing oversight.

The California firm with 400 employees at more than 40 locations throughout North America and worldwide – including London / UK and Guangzhou and Hong Kong / China, along with Mumbai / India – claims to have been the first to incorporate advanced design and engineering capabilities into the packaging supply process as well as being the first to move distribution beyond supplying a commodity and venture down the chain into establishing customer relationships based on consultative packaging capabilities. Keith Strope, president and CEO of TricorBraun, said he believes the company’s link with CHC, which has made a number of acquisitions in rigid packaging, “will positively impact the entire industry.”