US rigid packaging producer Nelipak (Cranston, Rhode Island; www.nelipak.com) has been acquired by private equity group Kohlberg & Company (Mount Kisco, New York / USA; www.kohlberg.com). The manufacturer will continue to operate under the name of Nelipak Healthcare Packaging.

Nelipak, which has been under the ownership of US investor group Mason Wells (Milwaukee, Wisconsin; www.masonwells.com) for the past six years, manufactures custom thermoformed packaging for healthcare products, such as medical devices and drug delivery systems. Its portfolio includes medical trays and blisters, surgical procedure trays and pharmaceutical handling trays. The company also offers custom-built sealing machines along with other value-added services.

“Nelipack has successfully transformed itself into a leading global player in healthcare packaging and an ideal platform for further industry consolidation,” said Kohlberg partner Seth Hollander. He said Kohlberg's plans include leveraging the Nelipak team and its customer relationships with “sizeable, global” acquisitions.

Employing more than 800 staff, Nelipak operates seven production facilities – five in the Americas and two in Europe. The Americas plants are in Cranston, Rhode Island; Whitehall, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; Humacao, Puerto Rico and San Jose, Costa Rica. In Europe, the facilities are located in Venray / The Netherlands and Galway / Ireland.

Just last month, Kohlberg agreed to buy three plants in the UK and Ireland from Amcor (Hawthorn / Australia; www.amcor.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 28.06.2019. In 2017, the investor group bought the winter sports businesses from Newell Brands (Hoboken, New Jersey / USA; www.newellbrands.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 06.06.2017.