TricorBraun Adds More Prototyping Capacity with Acquisition

Rigid packaging distributor TricorBraun Holdings Inc. is boosting its 3D printing and rapid prototyping capacity through an acquisition of Salbro Bottle Inc.

TricorBraun announced June 26 that it has agreed to buy Salbro, another packaging distributor, based in the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ontario. The deal also expands St. Louis-based TricorBraun's footprint in Canada.

TricorBraun manages more than 40 locations throughout North America and internationally. Suzanne Fenton, vice president of brand marketing, said in a phone interview that her company will keep its Toronto and Vancouver operations open after the acquisition. Salbro runs a 40,000-square-foot operation in Woodbridge, a 70,000-square-foot facility in nearby Vaughan, Ontario, a smaller location in St. John's, Newfoundland, and a Montreal sales office and warehouse. It employs about 60 and was founded in 1990.

TricorBraun has 3D printing capability in its design and engineering centers in Oakbrook, Ill., and elsewhere. Fenton said the technology is used to design rigid packaging prototypes and molds. When a customer settles on a design, the CAD files can be used to cut a mold, which is then sent to a processor to make the packaging. Alternatively, TricorBraun also can do limited production runs in its extrusion blow molding machinery in Lake Elsinor, Calif. The firm helps clients design and source closures as well.

The majority of TricorBraun's $1 billion in annual sales is for rigid plastic packaging, primarily blow molded containers but also for some thermoformed packaging, Fenton explained. The company also offers sourcing of glass containers. Much of the latter business is supplying wine bottles to California vintners.

"We were interested in expanding our reach and presence in Canada and this acquisition helps us do both," noted TricorBraun President and CEO Keith Strope in a news release. The extra prototyping capacity will quicken his firm's response times, he added.

"We're big enough to handle anyone's order, but we're also flexible enough to be able to react and adapt to the customer's needs quickly," said Paul Saltz, Salbro vice president of sales and marketing, in a news release. "Being part of TricorBraun will help us expand that approach."

TricorBraun says it is one of the biggest distributors of rigid packaging in North America. Its international locations include Mexico, England, China and India. Late last year it was acquired by AEA Investors LP.