Impress Metal Packaging Buys Heinz Can Ops

Impress Metal Packaging Holdings B.V., a leading canning firm based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, has agreed to buy all of the North American can-making assets of food producer H.J. Heinz Co. and to enter into an alliance with the popular ketchup manufacturer.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but privately held Impress, the second-largest metal can producer in Europe, said it expects the acquisition to close in early August.

Impress said it will buy and operate all five of Pittsburgh-based Heinz's can-making facilities in Pennsylvania, California, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and West Virginia.

According to the terms of the alliance, Impress said it will supply Heinz with food cans for the next 10 years in order to meet the needs of its StarKist seafood and Heinz Pet Products lines in North America.

Heinz's well-known products include Ore-Ida frozen potato products and 9-Lives cat food in addition to ketchup.

Edited by Bill Noone