Catering to the US and Canadian market, Italian flexible packaging and stand-up pouch specialist Gualapack (Castellazzo Bormida; www.gualapackgroup.com) has announced plans to open a US subsidiary with a sales office in Miami, Florida. The move is to strengthen its presence in the North American market, the company said. “Proximity will be key as the subsidiary gears up to better serve a highly strategic target market for the flexible packaging industry.”

The announcement comes after the Italian company reported its highest turnover to date in 2021 of more than EUR 300 mn. With 2,300 employees around the world, Gualapack has a presence in 11 countries across Europe, Asia, Australia, and America.

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Stefano Manfredi, currently the global marketing and sales director at Gualapack, is to become CEO at the US and Canada subsidiary. Manfredi has been with Gualapack since 2016. “This opening is an important milestone for our company, in terms of networking and business development in a demanding market,” he said.

A few years ago, part of the Italian company’s Latin American expansion included a new facility for pouches in Chile (see Plasteurope.com of 20.12.2017).