Amcor

Amcor Limited

Company type	Public
Traded as	ASX AMC
Industry	Packaging
Founded	As "Australian Paper Manufacturers" – 1860 Becoming Amcor- 1986
Headquarters	Southbank, Victoria, Australia (Head Office) Zurich, Switzerland (Corporate Headquarters)
Key people	Ron Delia, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Products	Packaging
Revenue	US$9.1 billion (2017)
Number of employees	35,000+
Website	http://www.amcor.com

Amcor Limited is a global packaging company. It develops and produces flexible packaging, rigid containers, specialty cartons, closures and services for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical-device, home and personal-care, and other products.

Amcor is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: AMC) and has its head office in Southbank, Victoria, Australia. The company's corporate headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland.

As of 30 June, 2017, the company employed 35,211 people and generated more than US$9 billion in sales from operations in some 200 locations in over 40 countries.

Reflecting its global status, Amcor is included in several international stock market indices, including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, CDP Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (Australia), the MSCI Global Sustainability Index, the Ethibel Excellence Investment Register, and the FTSE4Good Index Series.

Structure

Amcor has two reporting segments: Flexibles Packaging and Rigid Plastics.

Flexibles Packaging develops and supplies flexible packaging and specialty folding cartons. It has four business units: Flexibles Europe, Middle East and Africa; Flexibles Americas; Flexibles Asia Pacific; and Specialty Cartons.

Rigid Plastics is one of the world’s largest suppliers of rigid plastic packaging. It has four business units: North America Beverages; North America Specialty Containers; Latin America; and Bericap Closures.

History

Australian Paper Manufacturers was renamed Amcor Limited in 1986. Previously, the company manufactured pulp paper and paperboard products, along with metal can and flexible packaging.

In April 2000, Amcor demerged its business printing papers to focus on global packaging. The spin-off company was named Paperlinx.

Amcor's 45 percent interest in Kimberly-Clark Australia, a tissue and personal-care products company, was divested in June 2002.

Factory entrance of Amcor Flexibles Tscheulin Rothal GmbH in Teningen, Germany

Amcor Rigid Plastics plant in Manchester, Michigan, United States

Mergers and acquisitions

In July 2002, Amcor acquired the rigid packaging and closures businesses of Schmalbach-Lubeca, headquartered in Ratingen, Germany. This acquisition, at a cost of around $2.875 billion, made Amcor the largest manufacturer of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) containers, globally.

In 2007, Amcor sold its European PET business to La Seda, a Spain-based manufacturer.

Amcor announced in February 2008 the construction of a 400,000-tonnes per annum recycled paper mill located at its existing paper mill in Botany, New South Wales. The ‘B9’ paper machine, so named as it was the ninth paper machine to operate at the Botany Mill, was commissioned in 2012 and was officially opened by the Premier of New South Wales, Barry O’Farrell, on 1 February 2013. The B9 paper machine produced enough paper to fulfill the company’s Australasian paper requirements, and as a result, Amcor’s other recycled paper mill in Fairfield, Victoria, closed in late 2012.

In 2010, Amcor completed the acquisition of Alcan's food (Europe and Asia) and global pharmaceutical and tobacco businesses from Rio Tinto for US$2.03 billion.

In 2011, Amcor acquired Marfred Industries, one of the largest independently owned packaging manufacturers and distributors in the United States.

In 2012, Amcor acquired the business assets of Carter & Associates, a major distributor of Amcor glass wine, champagne and spirit bottles in New Zealand.

In 2012, Amcor acquired the Aperio Group packaging company, adding further capability in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. This company also acquired Uniglobe Packaging, a business based in Daman, north of Mumbai, India, in the same year.

In December 2013, Amcor demerged its Australasia and Packaging Distribution (AAPD) business into a separate company called Orora, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. The spin-off allowed Amcor to focus on making flexible- and rigid-plastic packaging and tobacco packaging, mostly for overseas markets.

In 2015, Amcor's chairman, Graeme Liebelt, advised that Ken MacKenzie would retire as CEO effective 17 April 2015 and would be succeeded by Ron Delia.

In July 2015, Nampak Flexibles, a flexible packaging business in South Africa was acquired by Amcor for US$22 million.

In September 2015, the US$30 million acquisition of Souza Cruz’s internal tobacco packaging operations in Brazil was completed. This acquisition aligned with Amcor’s objective of growing in Latin America.

In October 2015, the US$55 million acquisition of Encon, a privately owned preform manufacturing business in the United States, was completed.

In December 2015, the US$45 million acquisition of Deluxe Packages was completed. The business operated one manufacturing plant in Yuba City, California.

In May 2016, Amcor acquired Canadian company Plastics Moulders Limited for US$32 million. The rigid plastics business manufactured containers and closures for the food, home, and personal-care markets in North America from a single plant in Toronto.

In June 2016, Amcor acquired Alusa, the largest flexible packaging business in South America for a purchase price of US$435 million. It was the largest flexible packaging manufacturer and supplier in Chile and Peru, and a participant in Colombia and Argentina, with one plant in each of these four countries.

In November 2016, the specialty containers business of Sonoco Products Company, a manufacturer of specialty rigid plastic containers, was acquired by Amcor for US$280 million. The former Sonoco business had six production sites in the United States and one in Canada.

In January 2017, Amcor acquired Qite for US$28 million. The North China business produced flexible packaging products to large domestic customers in the dairy and food segments.

In May 2017, Amcor acquired Plasticos, a specialty container business, from a leading food producer in Colombia. The acquisition expanded Amcor’s specialty container product offerings in Latin America, including thin-wall injection moulding and in-mould labelling.

Products

Amcor develops and produces packaging for use with snacks and confectionery, cheese and yoghurt, fresh produce, beverage and pet food products, and rigid-plastic containers for brands in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and personal and home-care segments.

The company’s global pharmaceutical packaging addresses requirements for unit doses, safety, patient compliance, anti-counterfeiting and sustainability.

Amcor specialty cartons made from plastic materials are used for a variety of end markets, including pharmaceutical, healthcare, food, spirits and wine, personal and home-care products. Amcor also develops and makes wine and spirit closures.

In February 2018, the company commercialised its Liquiform technology, which uses the packaged product instead of compressed air to simultaneously form and fill plastic containers and eliminates costs associated with traditional blow-molding, as well as handling, transporting, and warehousing empty containers.

Sustainability

In January 2017, Amcor joined other companies in making an environmental commitment in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

Amcor describes itself as the first global packaging company to commit to developing all its packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2025. It also committed to increase its use of post-consumer recycled content in its packaging, and to collaborations that aim to increase rates of recovery and recycling around the world.

Sustainability Partnerships

In July 2015, Amcor entered a three-year partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help get more aid to people in impoverished areas of the world, and in emergency situations. Amcor provides WFP with funding, specialist training and access to laboratories, where the company tests and identifies how to improve aid packaging.

In October 2015, Amcor became a member of the Trash Free Seas Alliance, founded by Ocean Conservancy to unite “…leaders from industry, conservation and academia to create pragmatic, real-world solutions to combat the problem of marine debris.” Alliance members include Nestle Waters NA, Procter & Gamble, Walmart, and the World Wildlife Fund.

In May 2016, Amcor signed up to the three-year New Plastics Economy initiative managed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Amcor is a core partner in the initiative and holds a seat on its Advisory Board. Other partners include Coca-Cola, Danone, Mars, Novamont, PepsiCo, Unilever and Veolia.

Amcor participates in regional initiatives including CEFLEX in Europe and Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF) and The Recycling Partnership in the United States. With CEFLEX and MRFF, the company is helping improve recycling rates for flexible packaging and through The Recycling Partnership, Amcor contributes to improving access to curbside recycling infrastructure in the United States.

Amcor publishes an annual sustainability report.

Controversies

In 2001, Amcor was fined A$10,000 by EPA Victoria for pollution.

In 2006, a Four Corners story, titled The A Team, revealed the controversial methods used by Amcor to influence forestry policies.

In 2007, following investigations by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Amcor and Visy were found to have engaged in price fixing and market sharing in the market for the supply of corrugated fibreboard packaging.

In 2008, Amcor was convicted by the Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court for releasing oil to the Yarra River from its Alphington, Victoria plant and fined $80,000.

Further reading

• E.K. Sinclair, "The Spreading Tree, A history of APM and Amcor 1844-1989", Allen and Unwin, 1990
• Amcor's History
• Amcor Twitter page
• Amcor Facebook page
• Amcor LinkedIn page