Bosch Packaging Technology (bosch.usa), a leading supplier of process and packaging technology, is planning to acquire Kliklok-Woodman Corporation, based in Decatur, Georgia, U.S.A. Agreements to this effect were signed on September 21, 2015. Kliklok- Woodman is a globally recognized manufacturer of packaging machinery for the food industry. The company employs some 240 associates and supplies customers worldwide from its U.S.-headquarters and a second manufacturing facility, Kliklok International Ltd. located in Bristol, United Kingdom. In 2014, it generated sales revenue of approximately 65 million USD (49 million euros). It has been agreed that the purchase price will not be disclosed. The acquisition is subject to the approval of antitrust authorities.

More than 60 years’ experience in the packaging industry

“This planned acquisition will further extend Bosch Packaging Technology’s position in the food and confectionery industry. Above all, it will enhance our system capabilities as single-source supplier,” says Friedbert Klefenz, president of the Bosch Packaging Technology division. Kliklok-Woodman has more than 60 years of experience in the packaging of goods such as pastries and confectionery, frozen food, and dairy products. The company focuses mainly on the development, manufacture, and marketing of secondary packaging machinery such as end-load cartoners and top-load erectors and closers, and of primary packaging machinery such as vertical form, fill, and seal machines.

“This is great news for our customers, especially those with growing global operations, those who value single source systems responsibility, and those who desire variety in their flexible packaging formats,” says Bill Crist, CEO of Kliklok-Woodman. “We are proud of this strategic change, which has the potential to provide our successful, international associate team with further opportunities and aligns with the core values and reputation we have built over 60 years.”

Expansion of global market presence in food sector

In particular, Kliklok-Woodman’s range of secondary packaging machinery will complement Bosch Packaging Technology’s portfolio for the food and confectionery industry. “Kliklok-Woodman will help boost Bosch’s presence in this market, and the acquisition is an important step on the road to fulfilling our PA 2020 growth strategy,” Klefenz adds. The expansion of market share, particularly in growth regions, the development of new business fields, and the enlargement of the portfolio to enter new segments of the food industry are central to this strategy.

In recent years, Bosch Packaging Technology has made a number of acquisitions to strengthen its worldwide market presence and extend its product portfolio. The planned acquisition of Kliklok-Woodman follows the purchase of Ampack (Germany) in 2012 and Osgood Industries (USA) in 2015. In the former case, Bosch extended its product portfolio to include cup- and bottle-filling machines for liquid food products, while in the latter it strengthened its market presence in the North American food packaging industry.