Italy-based Tecnocap Group makesabout 5 billion metal closures a yearfor glass jars and bottles and for

plastics containers, or more than 60,000tonnes of tinplate and aluminiumclosures for some of Europe’s largestbrands including Nestlé, Barilla andMars Foods, as well as for the US andpharmaceutical sectors where Tecnocapclaims to be the leading manufacturer inaluminium closure solutions.

The business began in 1993 as atwist-off closure making operation atCava de’ Tirreni, near Salerno, sincewhen it has expanded and now boastseight manufacturing facilities: six inEurope (three in Italy, one each in Spain,Czech Republic and Ukraine) and two inthe US (West Virginia and Ohio),making it the world’s third-largestmanufacturer of metal closures for foodand beverages, after Silgan and Crown.

The latest Tecnocap acquisition wasin February this year, when it boughtaluminium aerosol and tube makerTubettificio for €4.1 million (US$4.7m).Based at Lecco, near Milan, the companyhas since re-started up three productionlines, two of which makemonobloc aerosol cans and theother aluminium tubes.

Another five manufacturinglines – four of which will be foraerosol cans – are planned to bere-commissioned between theend of 2017 and in 2018.

Tecnocap’s productioncapacity of monobloc cans andtubes will then be between170m and 180m units, sayschief executive MichelangeloMorlicchio.

“By the end of the 2019,” he adds,“with eight production lines and 90 staff,sales should exceed €25 million [$29m].”

The new business is expected to boostthe group’s annual sales to around€200m ($233m) in 2020, from about€160m ($186m) in 2017.

Part of the reasons to enter themonobloc business, Morlicchio explains,are the many synergies and correlationsbetween Tecnocap’s core business ofmetal closures and the new business ofaerosols and tubes.

“We have the same marketsegments,” he says, “food, cosmetics,pharma, nutraceutical, and personalcare. We share the same internationalclients who require both metal closuresand aerosols and tubes. We can use ourexisting sales network worldwide. Wehave the same business model: to supplyquality products with service andtechnical assistance. Both products havetechnical content: vacuum systems for

metal closures, pressure resistance foraerosols. And the R&D activity: both ourcore business and the new business areoriented to product and processinnovation.

“The aluminium aerosol and tubebusiness is winning,” he adds. “Over theyears we expect great growth for theseproducts. In general, they hold a strongposition mainly in the pharma andnutraceutical fields versus plastics,thanks to their excellent barrierproperties, their content protection fromair and light while holding back volatilecomponents. They are resistant to heat,and this is crucial to keep pharmacontent sterile.”

Morlicchio says Tecnocap iscontinuously researching strategic

investments, possible acquisitions, andnew product development to diversify itsproduct range, consolidate and improvethe company’s position as aninternational player in the packagingmanufacturing field.

In September 2016 Tecnocap becamethe first metal decorator to test LED-lamp-based curing technology developedby Italy’s PrintabLED on a metaldecorating press. A pilot system wasinstalled on a Mailänder 122 two-colourpress at its plant in the Czech Republic,

where a second Mailänder122 two-colour

printer wasupgraded inMarch 2017.

“We areworking onswitching to the

new inks seriesfor the LED

system. We willneed a year for

switching completely to thenew system. The mostrelevant benefit is theenergy saving. We havealready switched around 25

percent of jobs to the LEDsystem with an energy saving of

20 percent compared to previousyears. We are also reducing the scraprate thanks to the fact that the tinplatedoes not heat up. This is functional forour sustainability project.”

In addition to cutting powerconsumption by 90 percent, the LEDlamps run at lower temperatures andtherefore transmit less heat to thesubstrate being cured or adjacentcomponents. Also, ozone emissions areeliminated along with UVC radiation.

Longer operating life is claimed alongwith reduced maintenancerequirements.

Expansion through acquisition Tecnocap’s international expansionbegan in 2004, when it establishedTecnocap-Met in Murcia, Spain,

PROFILE

Expanding in metalWith the acquisition of Tubettificio, Italy’s Tecnocaphas diversified its business to include aluminiumaerosol canmaking. Mónica Higuera reports

s

Tecnocap’s chiefexecutive

MichelangeloMorlicchio

established thecompany in

1993

Tecnocap’s range ofspeciality closures targetthe requirements of thecosmetics, pharmaceuticaland nutraceutical industries

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PROFILE

attracted by the vast agriculturalresources of the area.

In 2005, Tecnocap bought ObalRoskoz in the Czech Republic, nowcalled Tecnocap Sro.

Then in 2006 it acquired the assets ofGlasscap Verschlüsse in Germany,which specialised in the production ofmetal closures for food containers andclosures for glass jars used to bottle fruitjuice.

That same year Tecnocap bought afacility at Lviv in Ukraine, now namedTecnocap UA, specialising in SKO caps,twist caps and lithography.

Also in 2006, Tecnocap entered theUS market and expanded its corebusiness with the acquisition of PennWheeling Closures, now Tecnocap LLC.Penn Wheeling Closures was a leadingoperation that had been operating for135 years in the food packagingindustry and in the specialised cosmeticand pharmaceutical sectors.

The North American operations arenow split between two locations: TheGlen Dale, West Virginia, facility is thehub of manufacturing for theContinuous Thread (CT), Unishell andchild-resistant closures for Tecnocap’global customer base. The Warren,

Ohio, location is the centre ofexcellence for lithography.

In 2008, two new companies wereestablished as sales and technicalcustomer service offices, Tecnocap Eurlin France and Tecnocap GmbH inGermany.

In 2011, Tecnocap purchased themetal closures business of Italy’s CapcoEngineering Srl; while further newcompanies were established in 2013 and

2015, Tecnocap Russia andTecnocap UK respectively.

In 2015, Tecnocap acquired Ardagh’stwist-off and lug closure business assetsat Campegine in Italy.

The group has 35 commercial officesworldwide, and more than 700employees.

Tecnopac has been expanding its twist-offcap businesses, such as at the plant

at Strmilov in the Czech Republic(pictured), and is now committed in

aluminium aerosol can and bottlemanufacturing

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