FLEXIBLE PACKAGING
THE WESTERN UNION Strategic West Coast acquisition provides another perfect fit for the fast-growing flexible packaging products powerhouse
Equipped with state-of-the-art film production and converting equipment, the vertically-integrated Flexstar operation in Richmond, B.C. runs a busy 24/7 production schedule throughout most of the year to produce high-quality flexible packaging products for a diverse range of customers across western North America serving the cereal,–nutrition bars, confectionary, frozen foods and coffee markets.
BY GEORGE GUIDONI, EDITOR
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uilding a trail-blazing industry leader from scratch in a fiercely competitive market can be a daunting endeavor. But for the Montreal-headquartered TC Transcontinental, the publicly-traded company’s robust growth in the North American flexible packaging industry in the last three years bears all hallmarks of a sound business plan carried out to textbook perfection. Since its formation in the spring of 2014, the TC Transcontinental Packaging division has orchestrated a string of well-executed strategic acquisitions that have boosted its status and market reach in leaps
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and bounds—today ranking as one of the 25 largest North American producers of flexible packaging products. Starting with the 2014 acquisition of Clinton, Mo.based Capri Packaging and following up with the 2015 buyout of Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Ultra Flex and Lenexa, Ks.-based Robbie Manufacturing in the summer of 2016,TC Transcontinental’s strategic move into the world of flexible packaging has proven to be a resoundingly astute example of business diversification leveraging the company’s traditional strengths in the printing and publishing industries. And while its latest acquisition may not have been its largest, the October 2016 purchase of the Richmond, B.C.-based Flexstar Packaging Inc. has a
Transcontinental Flexstar general manager Marc Bray credits proactive investment in new machinery and skill training for the operation’s success.
CANADIAN PACKAGING • NOVEMBER 2017
2017-11-15 9:52 AM