Packaging: Millwood acquires NPS

Millwood, an industry leader and innovator of unit load and packaging systems, has acquired National Packaging Specialists, a national distributor of engineered packaging films, tape, hoods, air bags and other industrial packaging products to the U.S. and Canada.

The acquisition was completed in early January. The new company will go to market as NPS/Liberty, a Millwood Inc. Company. “The NPS acquisition is a natural extension of our core business of industrial packaging and material handling systems and unit load design,” said Rich Evick, senior vice president, Liberty Technologies, a Millwood Inc. Company.

NPS/Liberty will retain Bill Jackson and Mel Bunson, the founders of NPS, along with key members of the NPS sales and support team. Jackson will serve as director, film technology and training while Bunson will serve as director, national account development.

“Bill and Mel bring 32 years of experience in the film business to NPS/Liberty,” said Kirk Ambrose, general manager of Liberty Technologies. “Their expertise will allow us to provide more solutions for our customers’ packaging needs.”

With offices in Vienna, Ohio; Atlanta; and Los Angeles, the purchase immediately expands Millwood’s capabilities to serve the stretch and shrink film market on a national basis. “We already provide pallets and shrink wrap equipment to national accounts,” Evick said. “We now have control over our supply of engineered packaging films on a national basis as well. It is a marriage of consumables, equipment and technical service.”

It is the second major acquisition completed by Millwood in recent months: last September, the company purchased Graham Pallet, a major producer of lumber and wooden pallets in Tompkinsville, Kentucky.