Italian flexible packaging company Gualapack is extending its international reach with plans to further grow its newly launched production plant in Latin America.
The company, already manufacturing through plants and partnerships in Europe, China, Japan and the US, expects to expand output at its facility in Costa Rica and increase the workforce fourfold from 30 to 160 by 2017.
It was in September last year that Castellazzo Bormida-based Gualapack formally opened its latest unit of 2,600 square metres in the Costa Rican capital San José. The group’s first plant in the region will turn out Gualapack’s full ‘Cheerpack DP’ spouted stand-up food and beverage pouch range.
Gualapack Costa Rica intends to penetrate Central and South America including Honduras, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
The group, formed from the 2010 merger of two Italian flexpack suppliers Gualapack and Piacenza-based Safta, has three production units in Italy as well as joint ventures Secure Packaging in China, Cheer Pack North America and a partnership in Japan.
Child safe and child friendly ‘Cheerpack DP’ pouches are used for baby food, fruit purée, use its anti-choking ‘BabyCap’, and also have applications for dairy snacks, sauces, condiments and beverages, said Gualapack.
Apart from Italy, the firm operates a plant at Nadab in Romania which it established a little over two years ago.
Source: European Plastics News
