Emballator

What Emballator does

Emballator Group is a European B2B packaging manufacturer specializing in metal and plastic packaging solutions across product categories including cans, pails, pots, tubes, canisters, bottles, closures, and lids. Founded in 1997 (with roots dating to 1975 via Herenco's acquisition of Ulricehamns Bleck), the company operates 11 production sites across Sweden, Finland, France, and the United Kingdom, employing approximately 900 people and generating approximately EUR 280 million in annual turnover. Emballator serves a diverse set of regulated verticals including paints & coatings, food & beverages, pharma & healthcare, beauty & personal care, petroleum/oils/lubricants, building & construction, animal & pet care, and cleaning & detergents, with notable capabilities in UN-certified hazardous goods transport packaging and increasingly in mono-material, recyclable designs aligned with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) effective 2030.

The company's revenue model is based on direct B2B sales of standard and customized packaging to enterprise customers across Europe, delivered through Key Account Managers and a field-sales motion. Emballator combines proprietary product platforms — such as the Duraline nested-pail system, EmSafe PPWR-compliant handles, EmStay mono-material PET wine closures, Integrated Flip-Top tubes, and the Pail-to-Pail closed-loop recycling service — with manufacturing scale, an in-house Innovation Center in Ljungby, and certifications including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISCC PLUS, and EcoVadis Gold/Platinum ratings. Owned by the Swedish family office Herenco, Emballator has pursued a sustained inorganic growth strategy through acquisitions of regional specialists (Metalpak 2017, Europak 2023, Avez 2024) and is investing in capacity expansion (new Lempäälä, Finland factory; Ulricehamn cutting line; Hjo energy upgrades).

Name

Emballator

Legal name

Emballator Group

Website

https://www.emballator.com/en/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Emballator is a European B2B manufacturer of metal and plastic packaging — cans, pails, pots, tubes, closures, and bottles — serving regulated industries including paints, food, pharma, cosmetics, and chemicals across 11 production sites in Sweden, Finland, France, and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Packaging Manufacturing

SIC

Metal Cans (3411), Metal Shipping Barrels, Drums, Kegs & Pails (3412)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Pails & Paint Cans (IMALADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cosmetics & Personal Care Plastic Packaging Manufacturing (IMANAEAL)

Keywords

• Metal packaging manufacturing
• Plastic packaging solutions
• Industrial pails and cans
• Packaging for hazardous goods
• Circular plastic packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Ulricehamn

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Metal Packaging Products: Sale of metal packaging solutions including cans, pails, and lids for hazardous goods, food, chemicals, and industrial applications. Revenue generated through direct B2B sales to manufacturers and brands.
2. Plastic Packaging Products: Sale of plastic packaging solutions including pots, tubes, bottles, canisters, and closures for various market segments including food, pharma, beauty, and cleaning products.
3. Customized Packaging Solutions: Development and sale of tailored packaging solutions designed to meet specific customer requirements for materials, formats, and market applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Emballator develops, manufactures and sells metal and plastic packaging solutions including cans, pails, pots, tubes, canisters, bottles, closures and lids for industries such as paints and coatings, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, beauty and personal care, chemicals and hazardous goods. The company delivers both standardized products and customized solutions through 11 European production sites, supported by an in-house Innovation Center.

Product overview

Emballator is Europe's leading packaging partner specializing in high-quality plastic and metal packaging solutions. The company offers one of the broadest packaging portfolios in Europe through two primary material categories: metal packaging (cans, lids, pails including the Duraline™ series) and plastic packaging (pots, tubes, canisters, bottles, closures). The product portfolio includes specialized sub-products such as the EmStay 30H60 closure for wine bottles, Long Neck Tubes for oral care, Integrated Flip-Top and Twist off Recap tube closures, and the EmSafe plastic handle. Emballator also operates circular economy initiatives like Pail to Pail, transforming post-consumer recycled plastic into new packaging. With 11 production sites across Sweden, Finland, France, and UK, the company serves diverse markets including paints & coatings, food & beverage, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, beauty, and personal care. The company employs approximately 900 people and generates approximately 280 MEUR in annual turnover.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Duraline: Flexible conical pail design with nesting capability for optimized logistics and storage
• Pail to Pail (P2P)
• Emballator Innovation Center
• EmStay 30H60
• Integrated Flip-Top

Products and services

• Cans Durable metal cans for secure, long-lasting protection of products across markets including food, chemicals, and paints.
• Pails Reliable pails in metal or plastic for safe storage and transport of paints, coatings, chemicals and other products.
• Pots Food-safe plastic pots ideal for fresh, dry, or ready-to-serve products in food and beverage applications.
• Tubes Flexible tubes in plastic or aluminium for precise, clean dispensing across cosmetics, personal care and oral care applications.
• Canisters Robust canisters offering versatile, protective packaging solutions for various industrial and consumer applications.
• Bottles High-quality plastic bottles designed for safe, efficient product handling across food, beverage and personal care segments.
• Closures Secure plastic closures ensuring tight sealing and product integrity for various packaging types.
• Lids Secure lids in plastic or metal that ensure tight sealing and product protection for cans, pails and canisters.
• Duraline Series Flexible conical-shaped metal pails with multiple lid options and nested design that saves storage space and optimizes logistics.
• EmStay 30H60 Plastic closure made from mono-material HDPE with oxygen-resistant Saranex liner, designed for short and medium term wine storage.
• Long Neck Tube with Cap for Oral Use Oral care tube with extended neck and cap designed for careful, hygienic application; 100% recyclable mono-material design.
• Integrated Flip-Top Mono-material flip-top cap that merges cap with tube, reducing material usage by 10% and supporting full recyclability.
• Twist off Recap Twist-off tube closure designed to reduce environmental impact without compromising quality for small-dose packaging applications.
• Pail to Pail (P2P) Circular recycling program where plastic pails are collected, processed and returned as new pails made from 100% post-consumer recycled material, achieving 80% CO2e reduction compared to virgin plastic.
• EmSafe Plastic Handle PPWR-compliant plastic handle for EmSafe pails with fully recyclable design meeting upcoming EU packaging regulations.
• 1100EmSense Container Rectangular container developed for petroleum, oils & lubricants applications with next-generation material-smart design replacing the 1100EmBra.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 percentage point increase in recycled plastic content between 2021 and 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HenkelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2024Nearly 30-year partnership with Henkel Adhesive Technologies. Henkel's innovative sealant products including Darex COV 73 (phthalate-free sealant compound) are crucial for ensuring quality and safety of Emballator's metal packaging. Joint development of new phthalate-free sealant compounds meeting UN standards while maintaining performance requirements.
• Avez SAScoreOthers · 28 June 2024Emballator acquired Avez SAS, a long-established packaging manufacturer based in Wattrelos, France. Founded in 1950, family-owned by second-generation owners Antoine and Thomas Avez. Specializes in tin metal packaging for dangerous goods. 44 employees, EUR 30 million annual sales.
• Colorama/CANCANminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Partnership with Colorama for CANCAN paint brand launch. Emballator Lagan creates unique transparent can for 66 colours developed with leading designers. Emballator involved from concept stage for packaging design and manufacturing.
• DFDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to electrify transport route between Emballator Metal Group in Ulricehamn and Emballator UK in Bradford. DFDS operates electric trucks with extended load capacity. Supports Emballator's goal of achieving net-zero transport emissions by 2030. DFDS aims to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050.
• Swedish Plastic RecyclingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to verify material sortability for recycled plastics used in cosmetic packaging. Emballator Innovation Center developed qualified material with 52% PCR (post-consumer recycled) content for cosmetic tubes, obtaining third-party certification. Swedish Plastic Recycling confirms sortability of materials.
• Van WervencoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Pail to Pail circular recycling process. Van Werven collects, sorts, shreds and washes returned plastic pails from Swedish recycling centres. Material is then transported to recycling facility in Sexdrega, southern Sweden for granulation before returning to Emballator as raw material.
• Wesslau AdvokatbyråminorOthersExternal law firm appointed as counsel to ensure impartial handling of whistleblowing reports. Reports are forwarded anonymously to Herenco AB Board Chairman for investigation.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Grief Inc: Industrial packaging manufacturer of steel, plastic and fibre containers including drums, pails and IBCs. Directly comparable in industrial metal and plastic containers serving chemicals, paints, and lubricants.
• Huhtamäki: Nordic-based global packaging group in foodservice and consumer goods with both paperboard and plastics capabilities. Overlaps with Emballator's food, beverage, and personal-care packaging solutions and shares the Nordic industrial DNA.
• Hoffmann Neopac: Specialty manufacturer of plastic and aluminium tubes for cosmetics, oral care, and pharma. Highly comparable to Emballator Tectubes' mono-material tube portfolio and recycling-focused tube innovations.
• Silgan Holdings: Diversified metal and plastic packaging maker (cans, closures, containers) with strong European footprint and similar B2B2C end-market exposure. Closely comparable multi-material packaging model.
• Ardagh Metal Packaging: Publicly listed pure-play metal beverage and food can manufacturer serving many of the same end-markets as Emballator's metal packaging division (paints, chemicals, food). Comparable in core product format and customer type, though larger and global.
• Can-Pack: European-headquartered metal can maker for beverage, food, and industrial chemicals, with comparable packaging formats and a similar European production footprint to Emballator's metal side.
• Mauser Packaging Solutions: Industrial packaging manufacturer of steel and plastic drums, pails and IBCs with strong UN-certification credentials for hazardous goods, mirroring Emballator Avez and Emballator Metal Group's dangerous-goods book of business.

Regional players

• AptarGroup: Global dispensing and packaging specialist for beauty, personal care, pharma, and food. Adjacent rather than directly overlapping with Emballator's tube and bottle formats, but competing for the same B2B packaging budgets in beauty and pharma.

Broad incumbents

• ALPLA Group: Global plastic packaging specialist in bottles, closures, and containers for food, personal care, and household care. Directly comparable to Emballator's plastic packaging segment (pots, bottles, tubes, canisters).
• Crown Holdings: Global metal packaging leader in food, beverage, and aerosol cans. Overlaps with Emballator's cans and pails portfolio and targets similar CPG and industrial customers, but operates at much greater scale worldwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emballator

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emballator