Packaging Acquisitions in California

Platinum Equity has made a significant growth investment in Norton Packaging, a Hayward, California–based maker of rigid plastic pails and other packaging; financial terms were not disclosed. CEO Greg Norton and the Norton family retained a significant ownership stake and Greg Norton will continue to lead the business; Platinum said the capital will support product innovation, potential footprint expansion and pursue add-on acquisitions.

JohnsByrne, a GHK Capital Partners–backed premium folding carton and specialty packaging platform, has acquired Municipal Packaging, a Los Angeles–based custom packaging provider. The acquisition adds two facilities and 75 employees, expanding JohnsByrne’s West Coast footprint and strengthening its capabilities in the health & beauty and premium specialty packaging markets.

Veritiv Operating Company has acquired Packaging Solutions, a Southern California provider of custom packaging products and services, to strengthen Veritiv’s regional distribution and service capabilities. The deal brings Packaging Solutions’ customers and employees into Veritiv’s national packaging platform and is intended to enhance design, testing and logistics support for local clients.

SupplyOne, a North American value-added packaging distributor, has acquired Vital Pack, a Signal Hill, California-based packaging distributor with in-house label printing capabilities. The add-on expands SupplyOne's presence in the Western United States and strengthens its flexible packaging and custom label production capabilities.

Prometheus Retail Solutions has acquired the value‑added packaging and retail display division of PackagingARTS, integrating PackagingARTS' design and label-printing capabilities into Prometheus' end-to-end retail display, engineering, manufacturing, and fulfillment platform. The deal expands Prometheus' creative and production capabilities for wine, spirits, luxury CPG and broader food & beverage customers while PackagingARTS will continue primary label printing from its Mare Island offices.

FirmaPak, a PE-backed blow-molded packaging platform, has acquired Lighthouse Packaging, a Corona, California-based blow molder and decorator. The deal expands FirmaPak’s West Coast manufacturing footprint and adds in-house screen printing/decoration capabilities while retaining Lighthouse’s employees and leadership.

Veritiv Operating Company has completed the acquisition of Orora Packaging Solutions (OPS), the North American packaging and distribution business of Orora. The deal brings nearly 3,000 OPS employees and expands Veritiv's specialty packaging, design-to-delivery and distribution capabilities across North America.

Mill Rock Packaging Inc. (a portfolio company of Mill Rock Capital) acquired the packaging and laminating assets located in Woodland, California from Everett Graphics and entered a long-term supply agreement with Everett. The acquisition expands Mill Rock Packaging’s West Coast capacity and large-format printing and laminating capabilities while supporting Everett’s sustainable tray business focused on single-use plastic replacement. Terms were not disclosed.

AmerCareRoyal, a portfolio company of HCI Equity Partners, has acquired Thermosource Tooling and Manufacturing (TTM), a thermoformed and flexible packaging manufacturer headquartered in El Segundo, California. The add-on—ACR's ninth since HCI's investment—expands ACR's branded and customized packaging capabilities and creates cross-selling and distribution opportunities across foodservice, food production, and grocery end markets; financial terms were not disclosed.

Resource Label Group (RLG), a portfolio company of Ares Management, has acquired Coast Label Company, a Fountain Valley, California-based label manufacturer. The deal is an add-on acquisition to RLG’s platform, expanding its West Coast manufacturing footprint and capabilities in pressure-sensitive, medical device and industrial label solutions.

Genera acquired the Camarillo-based assets of molded-fiber manufacturer and equipment supplier Zume Inc. in a cash transaction to add thermoforming equipment and accelerate expansion of its sustainable molded-fiber packaging capabilities for foodservice and consumer products.

Imperial Dade has acquired Prime Paper & Packaging, a family-owned distributor of foodservice, industrial and janitorial products based in Downey, California. The acquisition, terms not disclosed, expands Imperial Dade's distribution density in the Los Angeles market and brings the Farah family's team into Imperial Dade's North American platform.

Imperial Dade has acquired Atlantis Packaging, a family-owned distributor of industrial and packaging products based in Chino, California. The acquisition expands Imperial Dade's scale and presence in Southern California and broadens its product offering to Atlantis customers across North America; financial terms were not disclosed.

Resource Label Group (RLG), a portfolio company of Ares Management, has acquired Pharmaceutic Litho and Label Company (PLLC), a manufacturer of printed inserts, labels and packaging components with locations in Simi Valley, California and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. PLLC will combine with RLG's recently acquired MedLit Solutions to expand and strengthen RLG's national pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging capabilities.

Resource Label Group, a PE-backed full-service label and packaging provider, has acquired Majestic Labels of Riverside, California to expand its digital label printing capabilities. Majestic Labels' founder Ken Nordlie will join Resource Label Group to lead Southern California digital label operations as the deal becomes the platform's 27th acquisition.

Exeter Street Capital Partners completed a majority recapitalization of Yebo Group, partnering with Harbert Credit Solutions, IBC Funds and Yebo founder and CEO Andrew Tosh. The investment will support Yebo — a Tustin, California specialty packaging converter — as a platform for growth, capability innovation (particularly in sustainable agricultural packaging) and accretive add-on acquisitions.

B2B Industrial Packaging, a GenNx360 Capital Partners portfolio company, has acquired Oak Paper Products Company, Inc., a Los Angeles-based distributor of corrugated paper products and related specialty divisions. Oak Paper’s existing ownership and management will remain active investors and operators while the business gains access to B2B Industrial Packaging’s nationwide distribution network and resources as a platform add-on.

Salt Creek Capital completed a recapitalization of Pacific Paper, partnering with CEO Bill Donahue to provide liquidity to investors and support the company's next growth phase. Pacific Paper, headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California, is a custom paperboard sheet converter serving packaging manufacturers and commercial printers across the U.S.; the company employs over eighty people and operates facilities in Southern California and Lithia Springs, Georgia.

St. Louis-based Novvia Group, backed by private equity firm Kelso & Company, has acquired Innovative Container, a La Mirada, California distributor of plastic, metal, glass and corrugated rigid containers. The add-on expands Novvia's West Coast presence under its regional platform Rhino Container; financial terms were not disclosed.

Novvia Group, a Kelso-backed global rigid container and life sciences packaging distributor, has acquired Auberst Inc., a Brea, California-based distributor of plastic and metal rigid packaging solutions. The acquisition — which will be combined with Novvia subsidiary Rhino Container — strengthens Novvia's West Coast footprint; financial terms were not disclosed.

Specialized Packaging Group (SPG), a portfolio company of Altamont Capital Partners, acquired San Diego-based Pacific Pulp Molding, Inc., a manufacturer of molded pulp and molded fiber packaging. The add-on expands SPG’s ProtecPac division capabilities and geographic reach, adding approximately 50 employees while Pacific Pulp’s leadership and workforce continue operating in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.

Novvia Group, a Kelso & Company–backed rigid packaging platform, has acquired Rios Containers, a family-run distributor of plastic and metal bottles, cans, drums, lids and other rigid packaging headquartered in Santa Fe Springs, California. Rios will be combined with Novvia's West Coast operations (including Rhino Container) to expand Novvia's presence in the region; financial terms were not disclosed.

Fortis Solutions Group LLC, a portfolio company of funds managed by Harvest Partners, acquired Digital Dogma Corp., a California-based digital manufacturer of pressure sensitive labels, shrink sleeves and flexible packaging. The acquisition expands Fortis's digital printing capabilities and extends its coast-to-coast manufacturing footprint into California; financial terms were not disclosed.

Steven Label, a Goldner Hawn portfolio company, has completed the acquisition of Orange County Label (OCL), a Santa Ana, California-based supplier of high-quality labels and specialty die-cut and adhesive products. The add-on strengthens Steven Label's printing and finishing capabilities and expands its serving of end markets including pharmaceutical & biomedical, health & beauty, electronics, durable goods and food & nutrition.

O.Berk West LLC, an affiliate of O.Berk Company, LLC, has acquired the business and Southern California office/warehouse of E.D. Luce Packaging of Cerritos, California, effective August 16, 2022. The acquisition includes E.D. Luce's customers, supplier relationships, product offerings and its eCommerce store (essentialsupplies.com), expanding O.Berk's West Coast presence in pharmaceutical and personal care packaging markets.

Heartwood Partners announced the merger of All American Label & Packaging (AALP) and Western Shield Label and Packaging to combine their pressure-sensitive label and packaging operations. The combined business expands manufacturing capacity and geographic footprint across California, Texas, Ohio and Tennessee and will pursue further acquisition-driven growth in the labels space.

Akoya Capital Partners, alongside Trinity Investors and NewSpring Mezzanine, has acquired WePackItAll, a contract packaging, filling, fulfillment, and warehousing provider based in Duarte, California. The investment (supported by mezzanine financing) establishes WPIA as the anchor platform for Akoya's industrial packaging strategy and aims to accelerate growth and national expansion of its contract packaging capabilities.

Action Point, Inc. (Action Packaging) and Signature Flexible Packaging, an H.I.G. Capital portfolio company, acquired Techflex Packaging, a Gardena, California pouch converter, and integrated Techflex (and Chromatic Label) into a newly rebranded platform called DazPak Flexible Packaging. The transaction expands the combined company's flexible packaging capabilities on the U.S. West Coast and broadens its product offering for food, medical, pet food and nutraceutical customers across North America.

Minneapolis-based AWT Labels & Packaging, a PE-backed label and flexible packaging converter, has acquired Labeltronix, a premium craft label manufacturer headquartered in Anaheim, California. The acquisition expands AWT’s premium labeling capabilities and establishes a flagship West Coast manufacturing site to better serve food & beverage, alcohol, nutraceutical and other CPG customers.

Novvia Group, a national rigid-container and life sciences packaging platform backed by Kelso & Company, has acquired Rhino Container Inc., a Chino, California-based distributor of plastic, metal, corrugated, and glass packaging products. Rhino, which operates approximately 280,000 square feet of warehouse space across California and has 30 years of industry experience, will continue to be led by its existing management team; financial terms were not disclosed.

Comar, a specialty medical-device and packaging manufacturer majority-owned by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, has acquired Omega Packaging, a La Mirada, California-based maker of injection- and blow-molded closures and jars. The deal—backed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners and financed by Golub Capital Credit Opportunities with participation from Brightwood Capital and Everberg Capital—expands Comar's rigid packaging portfolio, adds child-resistant and continuous-thread closure capacity, and brings precision mold-making capabilities to its platform.

The Cary Company, a privately owned supplier of containers and facility products based in Addison, Illinois, has acquired Containers Unlimited, a family-owned industrial container distributor and reconditioner headquartered in Hayward, California. The acquisition expands The Cary Company's West Coast footprint and adds reconditioning capabilities with Containers Unlimited's multiple California locations.

Rainier Partners-backed Calpine Containers has acquired JS Ag Packaging, a Bakersfield, California-based provider of packaging distribution, labeling, and design services for agricultural customers. The acquisition creates a larger West Coast agricultural packaging distributor, adds product and service capabilities, and enables cross-selling and geographic expansion; JS Ag founder Jeff Smith will join Calpine to oversee inner packaging sales.

Omaha-based packaging manufacturer Airlite Plastics has acquired California-based Cosmetic Specialties International (CSI), a U.S. manufacturer of cosmetic containers for the beauty and skincare industries. Bridgepoint Investment Banking served as Airlite's sole buy-side M&A advisor; the deal gives Airlite a West Coast footprint and entry into the cosmetics packaging market.

Boyne Capital (through an affiliate) has partnered with management to acquire A&A Global Imports, Inc., a supplier of child-resistant and regulated packaging and ancillary products to the medical and recreational cannabis industry. The investment is a platform investment from Boyne’s BCM Fund II to support A&A’s organic growth and pursue expansion via acquisitions and strategic initiatives.

C-P Flexible Packaging, a portfolio company of First Atlantic Capital, acquired Fruth Custom Packaging, Inc. and affiliated Cleanroom Film and Bag, Inc., both based in Placentia, California. The deal expands C-P's West Coast footprint and adds cleanroom-capable flexible packaging capabilities for medical device, biopharmaceutical, electronics and semiconductor customers. Terms were not disclosed.

Resource Label Group, a Franklin, Tennessee-based label and packaging consolidator, has acquired Milpitas, California-based Teklabel (Tek Label and Printing, Inc.) to expand its West Coast presence. The deal is the twentieth acquisition for Resource Label and brings Teklabel's digital and flexographic label and flexible packaging capabilities into the RLG platform, with Teklabel's founders remaining in leadership roles.

Signature Action Packaging (SAP), a flexible-packaging platform backed by H.I.G. Capital, has acquired Irvine-based Chromatic Productions, Inc. SAP appointed John Attayek as CEO and said the deal expands its West Coast capabilities in flexible packaging, shrink sleeves and pressure-sensitive labels, strengthening its product offering for food, beverage, nutraceutical and cosmetic customers. The transaction brings Chromatic’s team and regional production capabilities into SAP to provide greater scale and a fuller service set to customers.

Specialized Packaging Group (SPG), a portfolio company of Altamont Capital Partners, has acquired Bay Area-based Specialized Packaging Solutions (SPS). The deal expands SPG’s Engineered Packaging capabilities, adds roughly 100 employees (who will continue to operate in Newark, California), and coincides with SPS founder and CEO Terry Besso’s retirement.

Kelly Spicers, a division of Central National Gottesman, has acquired California Supply North, Inc., a Union City, California-based distributor of paper and packaging supplies. The deal expands Kelly Spicers' industrial and retail packaging footprint in Northern California and brings Cal Supply North's customized packaging capabilities for food & beverage, medical devices, electronics and apparel into the CNG family.

Funds managed by Kelso & Company acquired Silver Spur Corporation, a Cerritos, California-based stocking distributor of specialty glass and plastic packaging. Kelso will combine Silver Spur with its existing portfolio companies C.L. Smith and Inmark to expand product availability, geographic reach, and end-market coverage; financial terms were not disclosed. Meridian General Capital was the seller.

Brook & Whittle Holding Corp., majority-owned by private equity firm Snow Phipps Group, has acquired Digital Label Solutions, LLC, a Yorba Linda, California specialist in short-run digital printing of pressure-sensitive and shrink sleeve labels. The transaction is an add-on to Brook & Whittle’s platform (the seventh since Snow Phipps’ initial investment) and expands the platform’s West Coast digital printing capabilities; DLS founders and employees will continue with the business.

H.I.G. Capital (through an affiliate) completed simultaneous growth investments in Action Point, Inc. (Action Packaging) and Signature Flexible Packaging, Inc., and the two businesses will combine to form a full-service flexible packaging provider. The combined company operates three facilities in Carson, City of Industry and Commerce, California, serving small-to-medium consumer packaged goods customers; H.I.G. will partner with management to support organic growth and consolidation M&A activity.

Brook & Whittle, a Snow Phipps-backed label and packaging platform, has partnered with (acquired) Tri Print, a Huntington Beach, California provider of turnkey pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves and flexible packaging. The deal is an add-on to Brook & Whittle's West Coast expansion, enhancing its sustainable labeling and packaging capabilities and extending service coverage for personal care, health & beauty and nutraceutical brands.

Larson Packaging Company (LPC) has acquired First Class Packaging (FCP), Inc., a custom industrial packaging manufacturer based in El Cajon, California, as part of a planned ownership transition enabling founder Sandy Brock's retirement. FCP's team will remain in place and operate under Larson Packaging Holdings, expanding LPC's capabilities in custom crating, Pelican case inserts and fabricated foam assemblies and improving service coverage across California and its existing markets.

Brook & Whittle Holdings, majority-owned by private equity firm Snow Phipps Group, has acquired Label Impressions, Inc., a label and flexible-packaging manufacturer based in Orange, California. The add-on expands Brook & Whittle’s West Coast footprint and adds new manufacturing capabilities (sachets, pouches, security labels, smart/augmented reality packaging) while keeping Label Impressions’ owner Jeff Salisbury involved as a shareholder and member of the team.

Resource Label Group, a PE-backed packaging platform, has acquired Los Angeles-area Axiom Label & Packaging to broaden its California presence and expand product offerings. Axiom, based in Compton, CA, provides pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves and flexible packaging solutions for food, beverage, nutraceutical, personal care and health & beauty customers.

Atlas Holdings LLC has acquired Saxco International, LLC, a leading North American value-added distributor of rigid packaging serving wine, spirits, craft beer and food customers. Saxco, headquartered in Concord, California with more than 250 employees and a loyal base of over 5,000 customers, was previously owned by The Sterling Group; terms were not disclosed.