Amcor plc 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.
The company originated in paper milling businesses established in and around
Melbourne, Australia, during the 1860s. These were consolidated as the Australian Paper Mills Company Pty Ltd, in 1896.
Amcor is a
dual-listed company
A dual-listed company or DLC is a corporate structure in which two corporations function as a single operating business through a legal equalization agreement, but retain separate legal identities and stock exchange listings. Virtually all DLCs ar ...
, being listed on the
Australian Securities Exchange () and
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...
(NYSE: AMCR).
, the company employed 44,000 people and generated US$14.5 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
Plastic containers are containers made exclusively or partially of plastic. Plastic containers are ubiquitous either as single-use or reuseable/durable plastic cups, plastic bottles, plastic bags, foam food containers, Tupperware, plastic tub ...
. 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.
The printing paper divisions were spun-off into a new company, named
Paperlinx
PaperlinX (ASX: PPX) is an international merchant of fine paper, industrial packaging products and equipment, sign and display, hardware and consumables, and graphic supplies and systems. Customers include printers, designers, agencies, publishe ...
, in April 2000. This demerger was intended to enable Amcor to focus on global packaging.
Amcor's 45 percent interest in
Kimberly-Clark Australia, a tissue and personal-care products company, was divested in June 2002.
Mergers and acquisitions
In July 2002, Amcor acquired the rigid packaging and closures businesses of Schmalbach-Lubeca, headquartered in
Ratingen
Ratingen ( li, Rotinge) is a town in the district of Mettmann in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies in the northwestern part of Berg about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf.
Administration
With a communal reform of 1975 the independent mu ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
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
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
-based manufacturer.
In February 2008, Amcor announced the construction of a 400,000-tonnes per annum recycled paper mill located at its existing paper mill in
Botany, New South Wales
Botany is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Botany is located 11 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Bayside Council.
Botany sits on the northern shore of Bota ...
.
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
The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislatu ...
,
Barry O'Farrell
Barry Robert O'Farrell (born 24 May 1959) is a former Australian politician who has been Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan since May 2020. O'Farrell was the 43rd Premier of New South Wales and Minis ...
, on 1 February 2013.
The B9 paper machine produced enough paper to fulfill the company's
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
n 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
Alcan was a Canadian mining company and aluminum manufacturer. It was founded in 1902 as the Northern Aluminum Company, renamed Aluminum Company of Canada in 1925, and Alcan Aluminum in 1966. It took the name Alcan Incorporated in 2001. During t ...
's food (
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
) and global pharmaceutical and tobacco businesses from
Rio Tinto Rio Tinto, meaning "red river", may refer to:
Businesses
* Rio Tinto (corporation), an Anglo-Australian multinational mining and resources corporation
** Rio Tinto Alcan, based in Canada
** Rio Tinto Borax in America
*** Rio Tinto Borax Mine, ...
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
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
In 2012, Amcor acquired the business assets of Carter & Associates, a major distributor of Amcor glass wine, champagne and spirit bottles in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
In 2012, Amcor acquired the Aperio Group packaging company, adding further capability in Australia, New Zealand and
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. This company also acquired Uniglobe Packaging, a business based in
Daman, north of
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, 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
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
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
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
was completed. This acquisition aligned with Amcor's objective of growing in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
.
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
Yuba City (Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a city in Northern California and the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 70,117 at the 2020 census. Yuba City is the principal city of the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistica ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
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
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
.
In June 2016, Amcor acquired Alusa, the largest flexible packaging business in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
for a purchase price of US$435 million. It was the largest flexible packaging manufacturer and supplier in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
and
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, and a participant in
Colombia and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, 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
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
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.
In August 2018, Amcor announced the acquisition of
Bemis Company
Bemis Company, Inc. was a global manufacturer of flexible packaging products (ranging from self-venting cook-in-bag packaging and retort packaging for shelf-stable products, to vacuum packaging for meat products and puncture-resistant, sterile me ...
, a US-based manufacturer, through the acquisition of US$5.25 billion in shares.
Amcor purchased Marfred Industries in 2018, making it one of the largest independently held package makers and distributors in the United States.
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's 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.
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 & Consumer Commission
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trad ...
, 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
The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, ( Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia.
The lower s ...
from its
Alphington, plant and fined $80,000.
In 2021, Amcor were ranked 7th on Michael West's "Top 40 Tax Dodgers in Australia".
See also
*
List of paper mills
This is a list of paper mills sorted by country.
Algeria
* GIPEC SPA, Baba-Ali Mill, Bilda
Argentina
* Papel Prensa, San Pedro Pulp and Paper Mill, San Pedro, Buenos Aires Province
Australia
* ABC Tissue Products, Sydney
* Asaleo Ca ...
References
Further reading
* E.K. Sinclair, "The Spreading Tree, A history of APM and Amcor 1844-1989",
Allen & Unwin, 1990
Amcor's History
External links
*
{{authority control, state=expanded
Companies based in Zürich
Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange
Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Dual-listed companies
Manufacturing companies established in 1860
Manufacturing companies of Australia
Packaging companies
Pulp and paper companies of Australia
Offshore companies of Jersey