Italian bottling company Sipa (Vittorio Veneto; www.sipa.it) has purchased assets for producing injection-stretch-blow moulding (ISBM) equipment from Automa (Valsamoggia / Italy; www.automaspa.com). Sipa described the acquisition as an important strategic move will give it a stronger position in the equipment market for speciality containers such as those used for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care products and spirits.

The Automa machines are designed to produce containers in smaller lots than Sipa’s existing units and can be changed quickly between different product configurations. They also have compact lay-outs and high energy efficiency.

Enrico Gribaudo, Sipa’s general manager, said the company will exploit synergies between the two ISBM operations in three areas: packaging development, research and development of the process and containers, as well as technical support.

Sipa specialises in manufacturing lines and moulds for PET containers and has production plants in Italy and China.