PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2019

PET news 6 NEWS PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 04/19 www.petpla.net Dr Johannes-Thomas Grobe new head of Sales and Service at KHS Dr Johannes-Thomas Grobe is to be the new head of Sales and Service at KHS GmbH. This has now been confirmed by the company’s supervisory board. The 53-year-old will be moving from Dürr Systems AG, a machine and systems manufac- turer for the automobile industry, to the Dortmund systems sup- plier. Dr Grobe joins chairman Kai Acker and Martin Resch on the KHS Executive Management Board. Dr Grobe has extensive knowledge as an executive manager of product and technological developments, innova- tive projects and production and manufacturing processes. The computer scientist, who obtained his PhD from RWTH Aachen University in 1998, initially held various posts at Bosch Rexroth AG, among them the vice-presidency of Sales for Industrial Management, Key Account Management and Application Development for Industrial Applications. Dr Grobe was then managing director of Bosch Rexroth in India. On September 1, 2015, he joined Dürr Systems AG as senior vice-president of Sales and Marketing for Paint and Final Assembly Systems. On April 1, 2019, Dr Grobe will take up his new position as head of Sales and Service at KHS. As the company states, the restructuring of the KHS Executive Management Board is now complete. www.khs.com DS Smith Plc – Sale of Plastics Division DS Smith announced it has reached agreement to sell its Plastics division to Olympus Partners for an enterprise value of $585 million, (approximately €519 million). The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including regula- tory approvals, with completion expected to take place in the second half of this calendar year. The Plastics division comprises the plastics operations of DS Smith, including flexible plastics, rigid plastics and foam products. Gross assets of the business as at 31 st October 2018 were £ 223 million (€ 262 million) and profit before tax for the 12-month period to 31 October 2018 was £28 million (€ 33 million). This sale is intended to accelerate DS Smith’s programme of deleveraging, alongside organic cashflow. www.dssmith.com New Sidel Group CEO appointed The Tetra Laval Group Board has appointed Ms Monica Gimre President & CEO of Sidel Group, effective July 1, 2019. The appointment follows the decision by Mr Sam Strömer- stén to retire from his position after more than three years as President & CEO and 36 years with the Tetra Laval Group. Monica Gimre is presently Executive Vice President Processing Solutions & Equipment in Tetra Pak. Prior to her present position she has had several managerial posi- tions in the Group, including Vice President Marketing and Portfolio Management and Vice President Technical Sales and Service for Tetra Pak’s Processing business. She joined the Tetra Pak Global Leadership Team in 2016. Ms Gimre, who is 58 years old has a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Lund University, Sweden. www.sidel.com Indorama Ventures completes acquisition of Invista Resins & Fibers GmbH Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global chemical producer, announced the completion of its acquisition of Invista Resins & Fibers GmbH, a speciality chemicals asset located in Gersthofen, Germany. The Ger- sthofen site has a combined capacity of 282,000 t/a, and employs approximately 140 staff. Indorama Ventures had previously announced its agreement to acquire Invista Resins & Fibers GmbH on December 20, 2018. This acquisition is aligned with IVL’s strategy to grow and support our customer’s needs with differentiated solutions in both packaging and in industrial fibres. It provides IVL with competitive advantages, obtaining the intellectual property rights of Polyshield PET and Oxyclear Barrier PET, Invista’s barrier technology, in all markets globally. Polyshield PET and Oxyclear Barrier PET brands are known for their oxygen barrier packaging, mainly used by the food and beverage industry, to extend the shelf life of juice, wine, beer, diary as well as ketchup. IVL currently has a leading market share in the North America oxygen barrier PET market. The company made its debut in this segment in 2011 through the acquisition of Auriga Polymers in South Carolina, USA, acquiring the rights to the technology for creating the Crystal Clear Oxygen Bar- rier Resin in certain markets in the Americas. This acquisi- tion is intended to give IVL added momentum to address a growing demand for barrier resins, and reach both existing and new customers globally. www.indoramaventures.com