PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2015

CAPPING / CLOSURES 46 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 11/15 www.petpla.net Procap becomes United Caps New strategies for a global market During an event on September 17, 2015 at its recently-expanded plant in Antwerp-Hoboken, Belgium, Luxembourg-based closure manufacturer Procap unveiled a new identity and development strategy. United Caps, as it is now called, is planning to expand, improve its performance in various areas, and develop closer relationships with its customers. The company also announced some new management appointments. Philippe Thivet, who has been with the company for 17 years, will assume responsibility for staff development and support, and also drive new projects. Newly-appointed Astrid Hoffmann-Leist is taking over corporate communication. CAD presentation of the PCO 1881 Wattwiller cap PETplanet Insider spoke to CEO Benoit Henckes, Chief Innovation & Coaching Officer Philippe Thivet, and Astrid Hoffmann-Leist, Director of Marketing & Communication, in order to find out more about United Caps, a family-owned company that was established just over 75 years ago. The last few decades have seen it grow, through mergers and acquisi- tions, from a small firm into a brand that is actively seeking to compete with its market’s leading players, including Bericap. United Caps can trace its history back to 1939, when a Belgian com- pany named Resibel started making products – including closures - in Bakelite. In 1982 Resibel, which had become a leading supplier of clo- sures for chemical, agrochemical and petrochemical customers, merged with French producer Delatour, which made hoses for dairy laboratories as well as supplying closures to various food sectors. The merged organisa- tion was renamed Wincap before being rebranded as Procap in 2003. From 1998 the company acquired or established production facilities in Spain, Luxembourg and Germany; the opening, in 2013, of a plant in Wick- low, Ireland, taking its total number of factories to six. Its seventh will be added in November this year, with the opening of a new plant in Schwerin, Germany. It also has 16 sales offices, located across the EU. As well as its customer base in Europe, United Caps is actively developing an inter- continental customer base. Its portfo- lio includes closures for applications in beverages, dairy products, cooking oils, spices, spreads and baby food, and the non-food sectors of cosmet- ics, pharmaceuticals, agricultural and automotive industries. “United Caps is expanding its horizons,” Mr Henckes said during F.r.t.l.: Benoit Henckes with Kay Barton by Kay Barton