Feature Growth
Investing for growth
COLEP PACKAGING has taken two major strategic decisions since becoming an independent entity. Both are aimed at strengthening its position in the aluminium aerosol cans market. Our features editor IRIS ARSIC SPEAKS to CEO PAULO SOUSA.
Gaining foothold in the aluminium aerosol cans market Formerly known as Colep, the Portuguese company that started as a family business in 1965, now part of the RAR Group, completed its split into two companies in 2021. Colep Packaging – one of the newly formed companies – specialises in tinplate packaging solutions. Sousa, who has been with Colep for over two decades in both the consumer products and packaging divisions, explains that the decision to break it up was to streamline operations and realise more value for all stakeholders. “The main purpose of the split was to give focus to both divisions, so they could develop and grow more,” he says. Already established as one of the
leading producers of tinplate aerosols in Europe, Colep Packaging set its sights on broadening its portfolio
of products with the addition of an aluminium range. The opportunity presented itself in the form of ALM, when it bought a 40% stake in the Spanish aluminium packaging producer in 2022. It went on to acquire full control of ALM in July this year, which it had intended to do from the very beginning. As the new owner of ALM, Colep Packaging is adding a new production line for aluminium aerosol containers, which will “in principle be ready in Q1 2025”. Based in Barcelona, ALM’s
proximity to Colep Packaging’s headquarters in northern Portugal’s Vale de Cambra, is an advantage. Commenting on other aspects of the acquisition, Sousa remarks: “ALM’s focus is on aerosol business and because aluminium is new to us, there’s a lot of technical know-how from their team. It’s a small operation
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metalpackager.com
that we can learn from and deliver something special to the market.” He adds this involves offering digital printing and making special formats. In recent years there has been a
A can necking machine at the Barcelona factory
lot of talk about digital printing for metal packaging, but the technology remains relatively limited in this space. Noting that many companies are “trying to break into it”, Sousa says it is still “very small in terms of production runs”. ALM offers digital
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