Coster (Pero / Italy; www.coster.com) and Lindal (Hamburg / Germany; www.lindalgroup.com) say they are transferring their pharmaceutical aerosol businesses into a new equally owned joint venture company called RxPack. Based in Oggiono / Italy – the site of a Lindal facility – RxPack is to operate independently of its owners and provide packaging solutions such as metered dose inhalers, nasal pumps and other products for both the regulated and unregulated pharmaceutical sectors.

The partners say RxPack will also be the exclusive distributor for Coster’s aerosol filling machines for pharmaceutical uses, excluding bag-on-valve (BOV) products, a market where Coster and Lindal will continue to be “strong competitors” given their products use different technology and address different segments. The companies will also continue to compete in other market segments such as personal care, home care, technical and industrial.

Both partners said they will initially invest EUR 4m to upgrade and extend clean room manufacturing facilities, adding that further investments and R&D plans are to target entering the highly attractive regulated sector and extend the product portfolio with alternative pharmaceutical packaging solutions.

Martina Segatta, Coster’s majority shareholder and board chair, said: “Our goal is to create a new strong player in the field of packaging solutions for pharmaceutical applications. RxPack has the expertise, the products and the financial strength to provide our pharmaceutical customers with innovative solutions that significantly improve the health and lives of sick people.”

RxPack is expected to start operations at the end of 2021 with roughly 60 employees, with additional hires anticipated in the future.