Guala Closures Group has begun the process for the acquisition of the Metal Closures division of South African primary and secondary packaging manufacturer MCG Industries.
The transaction – subject to South African Competition Commission approval expected to be given in the last quarter of 2012 – will give Guala Closures its first base on the African continent.
“For a while we have been looking to strengthen our presence in the fast-growing sub-Saharan African market, the only one that was missing from our portfolio,” says Guala Closures Group chairman and CEO Marco Giovannini.
“This acquisition is a further step in the strategy of consolidating our core business. Not only does it give us access to other African countries, but it means we can add Stellenbosch to the Barossa and Napa Valleys [in Australia] in our list of Guala Closures locations.”
Metal Closures is said to be the leading manufacturer of aluminium closures in South Africa for wines, spirits and other beverages. The 53 year-old business operates out of a sophisticated plant in Paarden Eiland, Cape Town and manufactures a broad range of aluminium closures to a blue chip customer base across the country.
With approximately 3,800 employees, 24 manufacturing plants worldwide, Guala Closures is an Italian multinational company – a world leader in the manufacture of anti-refillable closures for liquid food, and “the world’s leading producer of safety closures for spirits and aluminium screwcaps for wine”. The Guala Closures Group recorded a turnover of over € 410 million in 2011.
