Infiana Group sells off Brazilian films plant

On February 1, films specialist Infiana Group GmbH  (Forchheim, Germany) sold its production plant in Bahia to the Packing Group, a Brazilian films manufacturer. Infiana is now operating from three locations globally: headquarters in Forchheim, Germany, and production facilities in Malvern, PA, and Samutsakorn, Thailand.

"We continue to focus on the development and production of specialty film solutions," explains Peter K. Wahsner, CEO, Infiana Group. While there is potential in Brazil, "the difficult economic backdrop prevents—even in the medium-term—the substitution of commodity products with premium products, which are our focus. With Packing Group we have found a buyer who will integrate the site successfully into its corporate group and will be able to exploit the expected synergies in its current business.”
 
Packing Group produces approximately 110,000 tons annually and ranks amongst the largest manufacturers of flexible packing in South America.

The sell-off comes one year after Infiana Group, formerly Huhtamäki Films, went independent and the company looks to continue to implement its premium brand strategy.

Wahsner adds, "Selling our site in Brazil will not have any impact upon our global business, since the portfolio of goods produced in Brazil shows no synergies with the other sites. In fact, by selling the Brazilian site we are taking another step towards positioning ourselves as experts in the engineered release films, process films and specialty films sectors. For this market we do expect a considerable growth potential worldwide over the coming years."

The films manufacturer serves the health care, personal care, building and construction, composites and pressure sensitive markets and employs 800 employees worldwide.