Mason Wells Newsletter 2014 – Volume 1

• Acquisition of Nelipak Corporation
• Acquisition of Aquion, Inc.

• Mullinix Packages Inc.
• The Oilgear Company

In December 2013, Mason Wells announced the acquisition of the rigid medical packaging business of Sealed Air Corporation. The business will be owned by Nelipak Corporation and operate under the name of Nelipak Healthcare Packaging. Nelipak is a newly formed company owned by Mason Wells, management, and other co-investors.

With facilities in Cranston, Rhode Island; Venray, the Netherlands; Galway, Ireland; and San Jose, Costa Rica, Nelipak is a leading provider of high-quality thermoformed plastic products and services for the global healthcare industry. The company provides custom thermoformed trays and blisters manufactured in state-of-the-art cleanrooms as well as other value-added services to leading Class II and III medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide.

The employees and suppliers of Nelipak have played an integral role in the company’s success and will continue to do so in the future. Nelipak will remain an independent business and will not be affiliated with any other converting operations within Mason Wells’ portfolio.

“Mason Wells is pleased to partner with Nelipak’s management team to support the company’s growth initiatives,” said Jay Radtke, Director of Mason Wells. “The Nelipak brand has been synonymous with high-quality medical and pharmaceutical thermoformed packaging for over 60 years. The company’s global locations, world-class design and tooling capabilities, modern cleanroom manufacturing, strong sales organization, and experienced management team are all factors that have allowed the company to consistently meet the expectations of its customers. We believe the company provides an excellent platform for growth and is well-positioned to capitalize on a number of market and new product opportunities driven by global demographic trends.”

Since the mid-1980s, Mason Wells has invested in numerous companies in the packaging materials and converting sector, including in the healthcare packaging industry. “Mason Wells shares our vision of becoming the global leader of thermo-formed products and services focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, and they are prepared to immediately invest in new and upgraded capacity for the business,” said Clas Nilstoft, President and CEO of Nelipak. “They have a great track record of enhancing their portfolio companies, and with their strong financial backing and network of resources, we look forward to continuing to serve Nelipak’s customers with innovative, high-quality products and services.”

In December 2013, Mason Wells closed on the acquisition of Aquion, Inc. Headquartered in Chicago, with additional facilities in California and Belgium, Aquion is a leading residential and commercial water treatment equipment company. The company was founded in 1953. It designs, assembles, and markets a comprehensive range of water softening, purification, and disinfection systems under industry-leading brands such as RainSoftTM, ProSystemsTM, CWTTM (“ClearWater Tech”), and Erie™. The company sells its systems through multiple distribution channels worldwide. Aquion will serve as a platform for the acquisitions of water treatment and filtration companies.

The business is owned by Mason Wells and management. For more information on Aquion, please visit www.aquion.com.

In late September 2013, Mullinix Packages Inc., headquartered in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, announced that the company is launching an innovative, glass-clear, PET/scavenger packaging which maintains zero oxygen permeation for over four years. The material, OxyRxTM, is better than cans or glass at preventing oxidation of foods and beverages and addresses consumer demands for the quality and convenience of prepared foods. Contents can be seen by consumers, and product flavor is not scalped by the packaging. This protects and preserves the flavor and consistency of foods and beverages. The OxyRxTM material enhances traditional PP/EVOH packaging used since the 1980s, and can be thermoformed into stock or custom geometries, and lidded with film or foil.

The OxyRxTM material can also be crystallized into CPET packaging for retort applications and heating in both microwave and conventional ovens up to 400 degrees.

Traditionally, packaging comprised of oxygen-scavenging materials costs more. Because of its efficacy, the new OxyRxTM PET/scavenger material is competitive with many of the commercial PP/EVOH containers and may offer cost savings for higher EVOH percentage applications. Advantages of the OxyRxTM containers include better flavor, odor, shelf life, and overall performance. The material used can be recycled with other #1 PET packaging.

For more information on Mullinix, please visit www.mullinixpackages.com.

The Oilgear Company was recently featured in the November issue of the European Oil & Gas Journal. The 4-page article titled “Global Support” discusses the 90+ year history of hydraulic and electronic control innovation at the company across various industries, including Oil & Gas (land, offshore, and subsea). The article high- lights some of the potential applications of Oilgear’s patented Transfer Barrier Technology in Oil & Gas.

This Oilgear technology represents an engineering breakthrough that outperforms existing less efficient alternatives. “We can leverage the engineering capability and global footprint of the Oilgear Company with additional Towler products and systems to create solutions and product offerings unlike any other company in the world,” observes managing director Kieran Doyle. “We are excited about oil and gas and believe Oilgear will play a much broader role in this market moving forward.”

To read the entire article, please visit www.europeanoilandgas.co.uk.