Greiner Packaging opens first facility in Americas

After two expansions into Eastern Europe earlier his year, and multiple other developments in Eastern Europe in the past years, packaging processor Greiner has turned its compass on its head and now opened a new corporate facility for the Americas in Mexico. Production at the new site, located in Apodaca, a municipality within Monterrey, started this month. This is Greiner's first processing facility outside of Europe and the processor indicates it will be the first of several.

The official name of the business in Mexico is Greiner Assistec SA de CV. Willi Eibner, CEO of Greiner Packaging International (Kremsmünster, Austria), said, "In Monterrey, we have rented a hall of about 2000m² on a long-term basis. Moreover, we have the option of prolonging the rental agreement and more than doubling the production area." The managing director of the new independent subsidiary is Gerald Bernecker. By the beginning of 2011, Greiner Assistec SA de CV plans to employ a staff of 40 people, with the crew running a stable of European-brand injection molding machines.

The first company location outside Europe plays another important role for Greiner Packaging's deliberations as it considers expansion into other locations in the Americas. Eibner elaborated, "We regard the Monterrey area as a platform for other divisions, too. A European management and top motivated and qualified employees from our management pool will ensure that we will be able to apply our recipe for success on the markets in Northern and Latin America as well."

Out of the gate, the Mexican facility will be molding for an unnamed customer that already is supplied by Greiner in Austria. In the medium term, it will aim at winning business for packaging from manufacturers in the electronics, automotive and household industries. The long-term goal, reports the processor, is to become well established in Northern and Latin America in the food- and non-food sectors using a balanced mix of technology; the company injection- and blowmolds, and also thermoforms and runs extrusion operations. Eibner added, "Five years from now, our annual sales in Mexico should amount to more than €10 million."

Last year the company reached annual sales of €357 million, 35% of the total Greiner Group sales. Greiner Packaging International employs 2878 employees in Europe.