From the 1st July 1997 Amcor Ltd (HQ: Southgate-Tower East, 40 City Road, South Melbourne, Victoria 3205 / Australia) merged all its European packaging businesses into a new division Amcor Europe (8 Arden Court, Arden Road, Alcester, GB-Warwickshire B49 6HN). These included the former UCB polyethylene film operations in which it acquired a 51% stake in 1996. Its European activities also include corrugated fibre and cigarette cartons.

Amcor Flexibles Europe (Avenue Hermann-Debroux 46, B-1160 Brussels) has now completed its first full year of operations and is reported to have achieved satisfactory results. Sales for the year to 30th June 1997 were AUD 351m. Its flexible packaging activities include production and conversion of mono, coextrusion and barrier films and laminations primarily for the food industry. It has eight manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Spain together with sales offices in France, UK, Poland and Hungary. During the year the installation of additional extrusion film capacity in Germany and gravure printing capabilities in Spain were brought on line. In 1998 additional investment in gravure printing is planned for Germany, plus a reorganisation of the Transpac (Ottergemsesteenweg 801, B-9000 Gent) site.

Total sales in Europe for the 1996-1997 financial year were AUD 1.2bn (AUD 1.15bn) with profit before interest of AUD 53m (AUD 36m).

READER SERVICE: Amcor Annual Report 1997: PIE-No. 41702.