Husky, which is based in Ontario, Canada, says it wants to extend its capabilities in plastic closure making, hoping that the deal will open up its business to new markets worldwide, and particularly in Europe.
Although the finer details of the deal were not revealed, the sale is expected to be closed by the end of May, 2011.
Husky also said that it will be implementing a strategic review of KTW’s injection moliding division, Injectoplast, to assess whether or not there will be any conflict of interest with the Husky’s existing business operations.
Building on 14 years of collaboration
The companies have been working together on a supplier basis for the past 14 years now, and Husky said that the deal represented ‘the next logical step in the relationship’.
"Husky and KTW have worked very closely to develop closure manufacturing solutions that enhance productivity, eliminate waste and improve part quality for our customers,” said John Galt, Husky CEO and president.
Both companies are active in the market for closures supplied to global players in the cosmetics and personal care industry, including names such as Unilever, L’Oreal, Henkel, Johnson & Johnson and Colgate.
Galt stressed that the acquisition has resulted because the two companies need to work even closer together to effectively serve their growing customer base in both emerging and more established markets.
Husky to offer KTW-branded closures
Once the acquisition is given the all-clear by the relevant authorities, Husky will offer KTW-branded closure molds as part of its fully integrated turnkey systems and in turn becomes the only provider of complete injection molding systems to the industry, it is claimed.
Husky says it will maintain the current KTW executive team in Austria and will also continue to run the current manufacturing and development facilities in Austria, Czech Republic and Germany, which will then be operated under the Husky name.
“Becoming part of Husky will allow us to incorporate KTW technologies into the industry most advanced closure molding systems, while also gaining the advantage of Husky’s extensive sales and service network to better support our increasing global customer base,” said Claus Ziegler, KTW managing director.