Edson Perin
The packaging market remains strong and showing strength even with the Covid-19 crisis, a disease caused by the coronavirus. An example of this strength comes from Tetra Pak that has just announced the acquisition of Gaussian , a South African company with international asset management experience and providing its services to a variety of sectors, including mining, energy, infrastructure and consumer goods . Tetra Pak defines Gaussian as an asset management consultancy to increase the productivity of the food and beverage segments.
According to a source at the Tetra Pack headquarters familiar with the business, the acquisition did not come with the current global health crisis. “We planned this acquisition before the Covid-19 outbreak,” the company spokeswoman told the IoP Journal . “[This acquisition] is the result of a longstanding relationship between Tetra Pak and Gaussian. This change allows us to help our customers make informed strategic and operational decisions to optimize their operations and competitiveness ”.
Tetra Pak and Gaussian previously collaborated to develop and deploy performance analysis services in factories, which included benchmarking and analysis to identify opportunities for savings and efficiency delivered as services from Tetra Pak Plant Secure, launched in 2018. “ Tetra Pak will now have access to solutions based on the best physical asset management practices in the industry ”, states a company note. With this, the company aims to maximize the value that its customers can create in its factories through an informed ‘data-driven’ approach to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Roberto Franchitti, executive vice president of services, said that Tetra Pak Services aims to be the world’s leading provider of services and technologies to the liquid food industry. As a result, the acquisition of Gaussian fits into the Tetra Pak Services portfolio, adding value to the set of analytical and simulation tools and resources for the food and beverage segments.
For Dean Griffin, director of Gaussian, due to the close collaboration with Tetra Pak for several years, the decision to join the company was natural. “More opportunities are opening up by combining our respective areas of expertise. Tetra Pak’s unrivaled experience in the food and beverage industry and our knowledge in strategic modeling to achieve business improvements for Tetra Pak customers ”.
Another demonstration of the strength of the packaging industry can be seen in the recent acquisition made by the Voith Group of 90% of the Italian company Toscotec . According to Andreas Endters, President and CEO of Voith Paper , the acquisition of Toscotec matches Voith’s growth goals. “Toscotec’s products and services complement our portfolio and strengthen our position as a supplier to important segments of the paper industry”.
Toscotec is a specialist in the design and manufacture of machinery and equipment for the production of tissue, cardboard and paper. Headquartered in Lucca, Italy, and with subsidiaries in China and the USA, Toscotec offers customized technology and solutions, from complete machines to renovations and individual components.
According to the acquisition announcement, Toscotec will continue to offer its portfolio normally as an independent venture. In the future, the company will become responsible for the entire Voith Group for new machines and major renovations in the tissue segment . Voith Paper, in turn, will support the machines already supplied and all other business activities. “Voith and Toscotec customers will continue to be served by the existing sales channels of each company, as usual,” guarantees Voith.
Alessandro Mennucci, CEO of Toscotec, commented on what he considers a milestone in the company’s history. “By joining forces with Voith, we will be able to pursue new and more ambitious goals. We will continue to develop our expertise and base of references in the paper industry, in search of more added value to customers ”, projects Mennucci.
Later this week…
In the GSMD virtual panel Mercado & Consumo em Alerta , held on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, the regional presidents of Procter & Gamble Brasil , Juliana Azevedo; Mondeléz Brasil , Liel Miranda; and Carrefour Brasil Group , Noël Prioux; presented their respective views on the current scenario, post-Covid-19. In several comments, especially by Juliana Azevedo, the packaging sector was remembered as the main segment for innovation in the areas of health and hygiene security.
According to Juliana, issues involving the sustainability of products, especially regarding packaging , have become less impacting on the consumer’s decision than safety for their health and hygiene, in general. The argument received the agreement of Miranda and Prioux, during the virtual panel.