Bosch officials said acquiring Osgood will “further strengthen [our] engagement in the liquid food industry in North America and additional markets.” Based in Oldsmar, Florida, Osgood Industries employs about 150 people and logged $26m in sales in 2014.
“This is an important step for us on our journey to fulfilling our PA 2020 strategy, so we are eager to complete this transaction,” said Friedbert Klefenz, president of Bosch Packaging Technology. “The experience of the Osgood team, their dedication to customer satisfaction and their expertise in this growing segment make this a much-valued addition to the Bosch team.”
Linda Beckmeyer, a US spokesperson for Robert Bosch LLC, told FoodProductionDaily that Osgood Industries will be run as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bosch Packaging Technology. “No immediate changes in structure are planned,” she said.
Fill and seal
“Osgood Industries is well-known in the liquid food packaging industry for its expertise in developing, manufacturing and servicing complete fill and seal equipment for pre-formed containers,” Beckmeyer noted.
She said customers may choose to purchase those containers from an outside vendor or to install blow-molding equipment from Bosch that will allow them to produce the containers onsite.
Osgood Industries has an especially strong presence in the dairy industry, with a number of machines that meet 3A hygienic standards. The company’s experience includes both standard and customized applications for packaging ice cream, yogurt, desserts, salads and cheese products.
Bosch and Osgood Industries have had an established business relationship for several years, Bosch officials said. Osgood is a North American sales agent for Bosch Packaging Technology, representing Bosch’s portfolio of thermoforming, filling and sealing technology.
In addition, in 2011 Osgood Industries introduced its UltraClean Series filling machines, which combined Osgood’s volumetric filling capabilities with Bosch’s aseptic packaging technologies.
Bosch’s big picture
Although the Osgood Industries acquisition is subject to successful completion of necessary antitrust approvals, Bosch officials seem confident the move will go forward. The acquisition aligns with Bosch’s “PA 2020” growth strategy, which was formally announced at Interpack 2014.
“One pillar of that strategy is to diversify the business areas, including the liquid food industry,” Beckmeyer said. “Another pillar is to grow in the Americas market.”
In the past 30 months, Bosch has made two other key strategic acquisitions.
In August 2013, Bosch purchased French firm Tecsor Machines et Systèmes S.A.S. The Meyreuil, France company develops and sells equipment that makes and fills polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers for liquid and paste-like foodstuffs.
In October 2012, Bosch acquired Ampack, a Königsbrunn, Germany maker of filling machinery for cups and bottles. This machinery is particularly suited to filling and packaging highly sensitive foodstuffs such as dairy products, baby food, and hospital food.