Equipment

Packaging machinery suppliers Multivac and Ishida are to provide their customers with complete packaging lines that include products from both firms.

Multivac has agreed to sell Ishida's weighing and packing lines with Multivac branding in all countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) – alongside its own thermoformers, tray-sealers and labellers – to the meat, poultry, fish and dairy sectors.

Ishida will continue to sell its own products in the snacks, confectionery, biscuits, cereals, frozen foods, salads and ready meals markets in the EMEA region, with the following exceptions:

• Multivac will take over the exclusive distribution of Ishida tray-sealers in the meat, poultry and fish markets in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to expand its own tray-sealer range.
• The firm will also exclusively distribute the full range of Ishida products in Croatia, Albania, Slovenia, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Multivac managing director Hans-Joachim Boekstegers said the joint commercialisation of the firms' products "enables customers to profit from a high-capacity packaging machine tailored to their individual requirements and offered through a single sales and service contract".

Ishida Europe managing director Graham Clements said the two firms had a "hugely synergistic product and distribution fit".