Barry-Wehmiller Broadens Flexible Packaging Business with Wright Machinery Acquisition
Robert H. Chapman, Chairman/CEO of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc., has announced the purchase of the intellectual assets of Virginia-based Wright Machinery, a vertical form/fill/seal machinery manufacturer previously owned by ACMA GD and founded in 1897. This addition to the Barry-Wehmiller family of companies will be integrated with Hayssen's manufacturing operations in Greenville, South Carolina and will augment Barry-Wehmiller's position in the flexible packaging market.
This strategic addition, representing the 19th acquisition in 13 years for Barry-Wehmiller, will expand Hayssen's product line and increase its share of the snack food and coffee packaging markets. "This purchase will augment our current flexible packaging business, broaden our customer base and offer additional equipment choices to our new and existing customers," stated Dan Jones, Hayssen's President. Additionally, this purchase will expand Hayssen's After-Market business due to Wright's installed base of more than 1,000 machines. "We will offer Wright customers an amplified level of service and the benefits of our combined technology."
The reliability and simplicity of Wright machines fostered the company's growth, enabling it to capture a significant share of the vertical form/fill/seal market. Additionally, the high speeds, compact size and quality packaging delivered by Wright's machinery allowed the company's equipment to become the packaging machinery of choice for most major snack food and coffee companies.
Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc. is the leading packaging automation group in the Western Hemisphere with annual sales revenues exceeding $350 million. Barry-Wehmiller's unparalleled packaging capabilities are made possible through ten interactive divisions including Accraply, a leading manufacturer of automatic labeling systems; Barry-Wehmiller International Resources, a leading information technology services provider; Design Group, a world leader in the design, installation, and commissioning of integrated systems for the packaging industry; Fleetwood, a leading supplier of conveying systems and specialty equipment; Hayssen, a dominant force in vertical and horizontal form/fill/seal packaging systems; Marquip, a major manufacturer of equipment for the corrugated and folded carton industries; Pneumatic Scale, a leading producer of fillers, cappers, can seamers, pasteurizers, and specialty equipment for the beverage industry; Thiele Technologies, a leading provider of cartoning, case packing, filling, friction feeding, placing, automated bag handling, packaging, and palletizing equipment; and Zepf, a market leader in case packers, shrink-wrappers, bundlers, change parts, feedscrews, and servo technology. Barry-Wehmiller's e-commerce venture, barry-wehmiller.com, is the portal to the packaging industry providing services crucial to the sourcing and planning functions of packaging concerns worldwide. For single source automation, system integration, and the most advanced technology available today, contact Barry-Wehmiller.