French plastics packaging producer Groupe Axium has reinforced its injection molding activities with the acquisition of a local rival, LAPAC of St Rémy la Vanne, that produces lids and flip-top caps as well as a range of stick and roll-on cosmetics and personal care packaging.
Axium, a specialist in molding containers and closures for the food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals sectors, will add the LAPAC plant output to that of its offshoot Loire Plastic Industrie.
LPI specializes in molding a range of caps and closures along with various box containers. LAPAC produces lids and flip-top caps as well as a range of stick and roll-on cosmetics and personal care packaging.
The takeover, for an undisclosed sum, will see Axium, based in Andrézieux-Bouthéon in the Loire region of France, add a fourth packaging plant, equipped with more than 20 injection machines ranging from 40 tonnes to 200 tonnes.
Apart from lifting the group’s molding capacity, the LAPAC addition will allow Axium to expand its product portfolio to cover a complete packaging range. It will now include jars, PET and HDPE bottles and associated lids and flip-top closures, the group said.
Groupe Axium offers other molding technologies through its subsidiary Actipack which makes plastic jars and bottles with injection stretch blow molding or extrusion blow molding processes.
Actipack runs plants at Andrézieux-Bouthéon, France and Janovice in the Czech Republic.
In 2016, Axium also acquired a German molding plant in Kall, Germany through the takeover of the German packaging blow molder KKT Kaller Kunststoff Technik.
The French group also manufactures packaging machines through another offshoot, Packinov with a plant at Béligneux near Lyon, eastern France.
Axium turned out more than 250 million products during 2015 and with the expansion is now prepared to serve a growing number of customers across Europe. The group has commercial bases in Germany, Poland and Italy.
