Huhtamaki (Espoo/ Finland; www.huhtamaki.com) is to sell its Australian rigid plastic consumer goods business to Alto Manufacturing (Auckland / New Zealand; www.altoplastics.co.nz), a subsidiary of holding company Pact Group (South Yarra, Victoria / Australia), for EUR 33m. The divested business includes three manufacturing units in Bankstown, New South Wales; Mulgrave, Victoria; and Wacol, Queensland. Annual net sales of the divested business, which employs 330 workers, are EUR 50m. The transaction is expected to be finalised during November 2009. The divested units serve multinational and local customers with dairy, ice cream and edible fats packaging. Pact acquired Huhtamaki’s EPS business in Albany, Western Australia in June 2009 for EUR 5m.

“We are pleased to be able to finalise the strategic review of our rigid plastic consumer goods business for Australia’s part approximately in a year from the strategy announcement”, said Huhtamaki CEO Jukka Moisio – see Plasteurope.com of 27.02.2009. “Following this divestment, we are halfway through the strategic review in terms of net assets. We will continue to review our rigid plastic consumer goods operations in Europe. One possible outcome is a sale,” he added.

Huhtamaki will continue its foodservice, moulded fibre and flexibles operations in Australia. The remaining facilities include rigid paper and plastic packaging production in Windsor, New South Wales, rough moulded fibre packaging production in Preston, Victoria, and a flexibles sales unit in Waverly, New South Wales.