GPA Global today announced the signing of a 100% stake in MW Luxury Packaging, a leading provider of premium packaging solutions to the spirits, beverage and health & beauty industry with operations in the UK, the US, Mexico, China and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong-based GPA Global (“GPA”), an EQT Mid Market company, is a one-stop-shop premium packaging and display solutions provider with customers primarily within consumer electronics, mobile accessories and games & toys sectors. EQT Mid Market acquired GPA in March, 2017 with the mission to support the company’s continued growth and explore opportunities to expand the business into new customer verticals through synergistic acquisitions.

Founded in 1998, MW Luxury Packaging (“MW”) offers concept design, engineering, production management and distribution services. After combining the businesses, GPA’s strategy is to further strengthen MW’s supply chain and distribution capabilities, continue to develop the global clientele and capture cross-selling synergies to create a combined full-service platform.

“We are impressed by MW Luxury Packaging’s superior design capabilities and strong reputation in its core markets and industry segments. The partnership means that GPA can utilize and further develop MW’s well-established European customer network to build a strong global platform. The acquisition is an additional step in GPA’s future proofing process and EQT is excited to see the company now entering a new growth phase with accelerated development and a broadened product offering”, says Martin Mok, Partner at EQT Partners in Hong Kong, Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market.

Tom Wang and Adam Melton, co-founders of GPA, jointly continue: “We are excited to work with MW Luxury Packaging to build a world-class premium packaging and interactive display solutions platform. With MW Luxury Packaging’s strong existing clientele in premium liquor and health and beauty, the transaction will allow GPA Global to become the leader in an expanded client segment, providing substantial cross-selling potential with our existing offerings. The strong design team as well as sales footprint in the UK, Europe and Americas also serves as a strong addition to our existing platform. We look forward to working closely together with MW Luxury Packaging and jointly develop GPA Global to the next level.”

The founder of MW, Anthony Dowler, who will become a shareholder in GPA and continue to develop the company’s growth strategy, concludes: “GPA Global offers an exciting business model with strong reputation and credibility across a number of markets and verticals. With an extensive sales, design, sourcing, manufacturing and distribution team in Asia, I believe GPA will provide MW with the platform to continue to expand its footprint with existing and new clients. We are confident that the partnership will bring on tremendous synergies and allow the combined business to serve our customers at a whole new level.

Link to the EQT Update on www.eqtpartners.com

Yesterday, Piab announced the acquisition of US-based SAS Automation – a leading developer and manufacturer of mechanical grippers and robotic end-of-arm tooling systems. The strategic add-on complements Piab’s existing product offering and strengthens its relevance to the customer base.

EQT VII portfolio company Piab is a global technology leader within industrial automation and robot components. Founded in 1951 by the Swedish Tell family, Piab supplies a broad set of vacuum ejectors, conveyors and suction cups for lifting and holding objects in automated factory processes. Piab’s products drive productivity and energy-efficiency, and improve the working environments for customers across a broad range of end-markets.

Underlying megatrends, including an increasing number of manufacturing sectors prone for automation, higher wages and productivity requirements, alongside a rapidly growing global e-commerce market are all supporting an increasing demand for automation and robotization in the smart factory. The company’s line-critical products are used across multiple industries, primarily within packaging, automotive, food and pharmaceuticals. The importance of cost-efficiency and work environment within these industries underpin Piab’s strong growth trajectory.

“Since EQT VII acquired Piab in January 2016, management has accelerated measures to strengthen Piab’s position, both organically and through the acquisitions of adjacent technology leaders Kenos and Vaculex. With the three completed add-ons so far including SAS Automation, we see clear revenue synergies enabled by offering an expanded product portfolio through the existing channel network. Piab will now be able to respond to customers demand for a single supplier of both vacuum-based and mechanical gripping technology”, says Harry Klagsbrun, Partner and Investment Advisor to EQT VII.

The eastern growth opportunity

With the add-on of SAS Automation, Piab takes an important step forward to becoming a one-stop gripper shop, while in parallel fortifying its presence across North America. Similarly, Piab has strengthened the management team in Asia and are accelerating growth in the region, particularly in China. As the country is expected to be the number one global consumer of industrial and collaborative robot systems going forward, it is natural that it is one of Piab’s focus markets for continued global expansion.

“China alone expects to enjoy a 20% annual growth of industrial robots over the foreseeable future, which is one of many reasons for why we feel confident that the market hold significant growth potential for our business. In order to be able to capture this growth, we have over the last year scaled up our operations with both strengthened regional and local leadership”, says Anders Lindqvist, CEO at Piab.

Investments in R&D and commercial excellence

With some 60 years of experience, Piab is the frontrunner in a highly fragmented market. With more than 50% of sales generated from patented products, Piab enjoys a technology leadership with innovative, high-quality and mission-critical products in an environment where customers continuously require new technology solutions. Supported by EQT VII, Piab continues to drive for advancements in R&D with the ambition to future-proof the business through an increasingly diversified product offering.

Recent launches across segments include a new vacuum conveyor dedicated to fragile products, food contact suction cups and the new piCOMPACT all-in-one vacuum ejector. The piCOMPACT with IO-link demonstrates Piab’s strong potential within Industry 4.0. Condition information is sent real-time to the operator enabling predictive maintenance and auto-orders. Looking ahead, Piab has a well-stocked product pipeline with new launches across all product segments.

In addition to leadership improvements across Asia, Piab’s management team has recently been further strengthened with senior and second-level leadership in the US, Europe, and Latin America. To truly stay local-with-locals and secure the necessary expertise on the ground, Piab has reinforced its regional commercial organization in the US, Germany, Brazil and Spain, both through a growing direct sales force as well as a broader distributor network.

Piab’s entry into mechanical gripping through the acquisition of SAS Automation, the acceleration of growth in China, as well as increased investments into R&D and commercial excellence are all key parts in delivering on Piab’s long-term strategy, which is well on track.