Bosch to acquire Kliklok-Woodman Corp.

PROCESS and packaging leader Bosch Packaging Technology said it plans to acquire Kliklok-Woodman Corporation. Both signed the agreement on 21 September. The acquisition is subject to the approval of antitrust authorities.

Kliklok-Woodman, a company based in Decatur, Georgia, develops, manufactures, and sells secondary packaging machinery and vertical form, fill, and seal machines to the global food industry. It has about 240 associates and a second manufacturing facility, Kliklok International Ltd. in Bristol, UK. Sales revenue for 2014 amounted to about USD 65 million (49 million euros).

Friedbert Klefenz, president of Bosch Packaging Technology

“This planned acquisition will further extend Bosch Packaging Technology’s position in the food and confectionery industry. Above all, it will enhance our system capabilities as single-source supplier,” says Friedbert Klefenz, president of the Bosch Packaging Technology division.

Kliklok-Woodman has been in the business for over 60 years. It has focused on packaging of pastries and confectionery, frozen food, and dairy products. The company secondary packaging machinery includes end-load cartoners and top-load erectors and closers, and of primary packaging machinery such as vertical form, fill, and seal machines.

Kliklok-Woodman packs a wide range of products from cereal bars to biscuits, and sweets

“This is great news for our customers, especially those with growing global operations, those who value single source systems responsibility, and those who desire variety in their flexible packaging formats,” says Bill Crist, CEO of Kliklok-Woodman. “We are proud of this strategic change, which has the potential to provide our successful, international associate team with further opportunities and aligns with the core values and reputation we have built over 60 years.”

Klefenz said, “Kliklok-Woodman will help boost Bosch’s presence in this market, and the acquisition is an important step on the road to fulfilling our PA 2020 growth strategy.

The expansion of market share, particularly in growth regions, the development of new business fields, and the enlargement of the portfolio to enter new segments of the food industry are central to this strategy.

In recent years, Bosch Packaging Technology has made a number of acquisitions to strengthen its worldwide market presence and extend its product portfolio. The planned acquisition of Kliklok-Woodman follows the purchase of Ampack (Germany) in 2012 and Osgood Industries (USA) in 2015. In the former case, Bosch extended its product portfolio to include cup- and bottle-filling machines for liquid food products, while in the latter it strengthened its market presence in the North American food packaging industry.