The Italian maker of thermoforming and extrusion machinery has been purchased by the Florida-based startup headed by plastics packaging industry veterans.

OMV Machinery S.R.L. (Verona, Italy), a division of Swiss-based Wifag/Polytype Holding AG, has been purchased by Florida-based MalStra LLC (Royal Palm Beach, Fl.). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Plastics packaging industry veterans Mark Strachan and Brooke Maltun are the owners of MalStra and will lead the new business to be named OMV Technologies LLC. It will be headquartered in Florida with manufacturing operations to continue out of Italy and all current personnel to be retained. The holding company MalStra was formed in November and includes Strahan and Maltun among its officers.

Strachan, who will serve as the CEO of OMV Technologies, has almost 40 years of experience in sheet extrusion, roll-fed thermoforming and extrusion inline thermoforming, as well as two terms as chairman of the board for the Society of Plastics Engineers Thermoforming Division.  Maltun, who is currently the VP of Sales for Los Angeles-based custom thermoformed packaging maker Star Plastic Design, will serve as president of OMV Technologies. 

In a release, Strachan and Maltun stressed OMV’s strengths, including the ability to offer turnkey inline extrusion thermoforming systems and technology leadership in ‘cut in place’ technology and inline rim rolling of round and square containers.

The company said it plans to continue building machines and tooling in Italy, while “beefing up” operations in Italy and the U.S. Along those lines, OMV will be opening extrusion thermoforming and product development labs, as well as a training facility, in Florida. In addition, all U.S. based parts and service will be relocated from Polytype America’s current location in New Jersey to Florida. 

Maltun said the company will be hiring personnel for its headquarters is in Florida, as well as an office in Los Angeles, in addition to more sales and service personnel.

OMV Machinery S.R.L. has been acquired from Wifag/Polytype Holding AG by MalStra LLC. Photo Credit: MalStra LLC

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