The purchase includes Supreme's plant in Whitby, which employs 90 staff, and its smaller subsidiary in Murcia, Spain.
"Zip-Pak and Supreme Plastics have complementary product profiles," says Zip-Pak president Jim Kohl. "A majority of Supreme's business comes from narrower zipper profiles, whereas most of Zip-Pak's business is from wider, value-added zipper profiles. The additional technologies expand the breadth of resealable solutions Zip-Pak provides."
Zip-Pak says the acquisition will provide both companies' customers with the benefits of further r&d investment, increased technical support and enhanced customer service. Zip-Pak opened a plant in Winschoten, Holland in January 2004, and says Supreme's Whitby plant will further expand its European presence. The company will also produce zipper profiles in Murcia through Supreme subsidiary Plasticos Iberotec.
Michael Burton, former business unit manager of Zip-Pak's Ottawa, Illinois facility, has been named general manager, European operations and will re-locate from the US to north-east England.
The Supreme acquisition follows April's purchase by Zip-Pak of US company Pliant Corporation's resealable zipper division, which produces string, flange and slider zipper for flexible converters.
Robert Hogan, Zip-Pak director, international sales and marketing says: "It's likely we'll be further investing in the Whitby plant and might also consider establishing another European site. However this is some way down the road."
