Packaging: Alcan buys Tubapak, expands E. European reach

Alcan Packaging has entered the growing Russian market for cosmetics and personal care with the acquisition of Tubapak’s plastics tube plant in the Moscow area. The 7000-sq-m site includes production and warehousing, with the ability to serve the greater Central and Eastern European markets, according to Alcan. Formerly part of the Koros Group (Moscow), Tubapack opened in January 2006 with two automated production lines offering a combined annual capacity of 37 million tubes. At the end of 2006, capacity was doubled to 74 million tubes/yr, making it the largest plastic tube manufacturer in Russia. According to its web site, Tubapack had set its sights beyond the domestic market, looking outwards to Eastern Europe and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries.

Alcan Packaging (Paris), which is now part of Rio Tinto plc (London), operates 129 facilities in 31 countries with 30,000 employees and 2007 revenues of $6.2 billion.—[email protected]