Gualapack Spa is announcing its plans for expansion in Brazil, as part of the Group’s continued efforts for a sustainable, global growth through vertical integration.
Gualapack strongly pursues international development to support its positioning on the global market as the world leader in pre-made spouted pouches and a global player in the flexible packaging industry. Brazil has been a strategic area for the company's growth since 2015, when the Group opened the dedicated subsidiary Gualapack Brasil in Iperó / São Paulo by merging with pouch producer Tradbor.
Today, Gualapack continues to invest substantially in this promising region of the world with the acquisition of Teruel Embalagens – Papéis Amália Ltda. Teruel is a traditional family business with 50 years of expertise, specializing in flexographic printing on flexible film at its two factories in Brazil.
With this agreement, Gualapack Brasil aims to achieve various interconnected goals. First of all, being able to manufacture laminates within the company will allow the Brazilian subsidiary to achieve vertical integration in the production of pouches destined to the South American market. Second of all, the acquisition will help Gualapack Brasil align with the Group's global portfolio and grow within its technology crossover strategy – which includes laminates, pouches, injection moulding and filling lines. Finally, the company is effectively incorporating new technologies focused on sustainable packaging solutions, as Teruel has proven capabilities in the development of new products and green technologies, some of which it has patented.
Alan Baumgarten, CEO of Gualapack Brasil, points out that “Teruel’s specialty, which includes its own patented technologies in the country and worldwide, as well as the use of paper in flexible packaging, will make a key contribution to Gualapack’s line of sustainable products. Furthermore, the acquisition allows Gualapack Brasil to align with the company’s global portfolio.”
Thus, after only six years in operation, with this acquisition Gualapack Brasil marks the beginning of a new phase in its history. Now having 3 plants and additional integrated capabilities, the company is poised to reach new levels of opportunity thanks to its determination to invest in new technologies, increase its production capacity, and enable local manufacture of sustainable solutions such as films and mono-material pouches, which are easy to recycle. “This solution is already adopted by large customers of the company in Europe and will now be available in Brazil. Our international positioning allows us to bring disruptive and innovative technologies and products to the country to serve large global and local customers,” explains Baumgarten.
ABOUT GUALAPACK
Gualapack is the world leader in pre-made spouted pouches and a global player in the flexible packaging industry, manufacturing laminates, caps and pouches for baby food, snacks, pharmaceutical products and a wide range of other applications. The company is fully committed to sustainability, which in the past few years has been its greatest driver for growth and innovation. Headquartered in Italy, Gualapack has a global presence in 9 countries worldwide.
ABOUT TERUEL EMBALAGENS - PAPÉIS AMÁLIA LTDA
Founded in 1969 by Amadeu and Amélia Teruel, Teruel has 50 years of specialized expertise in flexographic printing and currently operates two factories in Brazil: a 30,000-square-meter graphics plant in Jaguariúna / São Paulo, and a 20,000-square-meter unit in Ouro Fino / Minas Gerais. Teruel is one of the largest historical converters in flexography, recognized in Brazil and worldwide for high print quality and for product development focused on sustainable solutions. Its state-of-the-art machinery is capable of producing flexible industrial and commercial packaging for various uses and markets.
