Swiss injection molder buys CBW Automation to bolster thin-walled packaging capabilities

Switzerland-based Mold & Robotics Group (Conthey) announced today that it has received a green light from shareholders of CBW Automation (Fort Collins, CO) to purchase the automation company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The recently formed Mold & Robotics Group has under its umbrella Müller (Conthey), which specializes in injection-molded thin-wall packaging. The merger with CBW Automation is characterized as the foundation of the “first globally active industry leader in tooling and automation with an established presence in America and Europe,” said Müller in a press release.

Müller cited a confluence of industry trends that make this particular merger attractive. The market for thin-walled packaging continues to expand in food and other applications, said the company. Moreover, supply chains have globalized and consolidated over the years. In this context, integrated robotics and injection molding expertise within a global organization is a powerful value proposition. 

“As a leading U.S. company of robots and automation solutions, we are proud of what our team has accomplished over the past decades,” said Dave Carson, President of CBW Automation. “By joining Mold & Robotics Group we will be part of a strong international group to reinforce our technological leadership. I see Mold & Robotics Group as the right organization to successfully ensure the future of CBW Automation in the long-term. At the same time, it will help us to deliver more value to our customers,” said Carson. Founded in 1970, CBW Automation developed the first automated system to handle Cool Whip lids from molding machines.

“CBW Automation coming together with Müller under the umbrella of Mold & Robotics Group [will benefit] customers [through] improved responsiveness delivered by our full presence in America and Europe,” said Udo Gröber, CEO of Müller and Mold & Robotics Group. “It will help us to improve and shorten the development processes and stay closer to our customer’s plants to better serve them.” 

Müller was founded in 1959 and has expertise in packaging design, mold and automation solutions for injection molded thin-wall packaging with special know-how in in-mold-labeling.