Essel Propack Ltd (Mumbai / India; www.esselpropack.com), which claims to be the world´s biggest producer of tubes in composite materials, has acquired the Arista Tubes (GB-Stevenage SG1 2DU; www.arista-tubes.com). Arista ranks as the UK´s largest producer of seamless plastic tubes for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, together with the corresponding closures, holding a market share of 30%. The company achieved sales of around EUR 18m in 2003. Essel Propack, which was created at the end of 2000 through Essel Packaging´s merger with Switzerland´s Propack, achieved sales equivalent to EUR 107m in 2003, with a net profit of EUR 12m. More than 4.2 bn tubes in PET, HDPE and EVOH were dispatched from its 16 production sites in 11 countries.

Managing director Ashok Kumar Goel says the company is intending to expand its business in Europe, among other locations, with customers including Unilever, Glaxo Smithkline, Colgate Palmolive and Procter & Gamble, and also to gain strength in areas beyond its main performer of toothpaste tubes. At the same time, a new “Caps” division is to be set up. The company is building a manufacturing plant in the vicinity of Moscow / Russia to serve the market there, with estimated demand for 400m tubes. The facility, whose capacity has not yet been announced, will probably be supplied with material from India and is scheduled to come on stream at the end of 2004.