Newly formed Exopack Holdings rebrands; implements a new organizational structure

Exopack Holdings S.A., formed in May by the combination of five packaging companies in North America and Europe, has unveiled Coveris as the organization's new name.

In May 2013, U.S.-based Exopack joined with four European packaging companies-Britton Group, PACCOR, Kobusch, and Paragon Print & Packaging. The combined businesses have operated as one global entity under Exopack Holdings S.A., although the five brand names remained in use. Going forward, the Coveris brand will ultimately be used for all of the company's operations.

Coveris is reportedly the sixth largest global plastics packaging company, with revenues in excess of $2.5 billion and operations in 21 countries. The company, an affiliated portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners, produces flexible and rigid plastic and paper packaging, as well as advanced coatings.

"Today's rebranding announcement marks an important milestone for us, signifying the successful integration of five packaging companies into a global industry leader," said CEO Jack Knott. "More than a global business, Coveris is a 'multi-local' business partner, close to our customers in many regions and markets around the world. We're confident that the Coveris name will become synonymous with our passion for excellence in high-performance packaging products that add value to our customers' products and businesses."

The selection of Coveris comes after a thorough process to create a new brand identity that would differentiate the company in the marketplace.

In addition to a new name, Coveris has implemented a new organizational structure.The global flexibles business is now organized in two markets, Europe and North America, with three main product lines: food & consumer, industrials and advanced coatings. The rigid business is organized by geographic markets serving mainly customers in Europe.

"Uniting all of our operations as Coveris is much more than just a name change," said Michael Cronin, CEO of the global flexibles business. "It enables us to more efficiently deploy our technology and capabilities to our customers in every market, and is a clear indicator of our commitment to upholding the highest standards of excellence in all of our working relationships."

Back in May, PlasticsToday talked with Knott about the newly formed company and he said that the companies were all very complementary and that by "combining together we end up with a global manufacturing footprint far better than anyone else out there."

He believes the larger scale will enable the company to accelerate the development and commercialization of new and differentiated products that offer its customers a competitive advantage.

"Competition like Berry Plastics is very North American centric, Bemis is North American centric, Amcor is European centric," Knott said. "Based on the market segments we serve and the breadth of products we will offer, plus a global manufacturing footprint and innovation pipeline, it truly allows us to serve a diverse customer base."