A subsidiary of TriMas Corporation, TriMas Packaging is reshuffling the deck in the perfumery pump market, while continuing to innovate with its flagship "large dose" pumps.
TriMas Packaging presented its latest innovations in beauty and cosmetics packaging at Beautyworld Middle East 2024, held in Dubai on October 28, 29 and 30, 2024. With its Rieke, Aarts Packaging, Affaba & Ferrari, Taplast and Rapak brands, the company was able to showcase its latest advances and sustainable solutions for the beauty, cosmetics and personal care markets, in particular its portfolio of high-end perfume pumps and closures.
For two years now, TriMas Packaging has been making a strategic shift. Considered more as a specialist in the production of "large dose" closures and pumps for a wide variety of sectors, the division of the American TriMas group decided to invest heavily in the luxury sector, focusing on the beauty and personal care segments.
"Our acquisition strategy is in line with our current strategy: to diversify our business into the beauty segment, taking into account market expectations in terms of premiumization, upmarket positioning and the expected increase in product added value, say TriMas Packaging managers. The acquisition, in 2023, of Dutch company Aarts Packaging is part of this strategy. Aarts Packaging specializes in injection molding for the cosmetics, medical and food industries. In particular, the company manufactures high-end perfume closures and make-up cases for customers in the beauty and luxury sectors. Its major strengths are its ability to automate production, which runs 24 hours a day, with few employees, and its in-house mold making."
Diversification into fragrance pumps
With this new facility, TriMas Packaging intends to position itself against major competitors such as Aptar and Silgan Dispensing Systems, with new-generation fragrance pumps. "We sell a lot of fragrance pumps in the United States and Brazil. Today, they are manufactured by an Asian partner. After analyzing the market, we decided to set up production in Europe", explains Hervé Bichon, Vice President Sales, Beauty & Dispensing Systems at Aptar. TriMas Packaging.
The dedicated perfumery pumps - available in crimp, snap-on and screw-in versions, with different types of push-button - will be produced at the Aarts Packaging site, with an annual production capacity of 100 million units.
"At the end of 2024, we will start with assembly. Next year, injection and pump motor manufacturing will also be integrated. The main market players are currently approving these new pumps. Industrial trials are even being carried out at some of our customers' sites. This is a major step for us: we're moving from a company that manufactures "large dose" pumps to one capable of manufacturing micro-dose pumps for the beauty sector".stresses Hervé Bichon.
"We are well positioned to be one of the three major producers of this type of pump in Europe. Customers are delighted to see us enter this market".says Stéphane Frémiot, European Sales Director, Beauty & Distribution Systems Division.
Innovative, environmentally-friendly products
In addition to this major project, innovation and sustainable development remain TriMas Packaging's key development priorities. For pumps, pushers and screw rings can, for example, be made from recycled materials to meet growing market demand. Closure elements such as flip-top caps can be made from 100 recycled %.
What about recyclability? TriMas Packaging, for example, has launched a new range of single-material, all-PP or all-PE pumps. Intended for lotions, available in 2 cc and soon 4 cc versions, the Singolo dispenser pump offers consumers, according to TriMas Packaging, excellent dispensing performance while allowing recycling after use. This innovative product has been awarded an "A" rating by RecyClass, an inter-professional initiative to promote the recyclability and traceability of plastic packaging in Europe.
"The challenge is to strike the right balance between a pump that is not too hard and one that rises correctly even when used for a thousand doses, for example. TriMas Packaging pumps are now tested for up to 3,000 doses, and must be able to function after several refills. The Singolo 2 cc works well up to 3000 doses, depending on product viscosity, underlines Hervé Bichon, before adding that it can also be customized.
Specific plunger, PCR, ring adapted to the vial... it's all possible. Manufactured in Vietnam (to benefit from duty-free status) - in a factory soon to be replaced by a larger production unit - it will be available very soon.
The company has also produced a "foam pump" in China, made entirely of plastic, with a butterfly-shaped "butterfly" spring.
"We're in a market where constant innovation is essential if our customers are to benefit from a source of differentiation from their competitors. In addition to standard products, we are designing more and more specific products. To this end, we are currently recruiting pump and closure specialists with project management skills to support our customers.concludes Hervé Bichon.
| TriMas Packaging, at a glance TriMas Corporation (sales of 900 M$ in 2024, 3,400 employees in 13 countries), headquartered in Bloomfield Hill, Michigan, USA, manufactures a diversified range of products primarily for the consumer products, aerospace and industrial markets. Within the group, TriMas Packaging designs and manufactures dispensing, closure and flexible packaging solutions for the cosmetics, food, household, pharmaceutical and agricultural markets. With some 2,200 employees at 26 sites worldwide, TriMas Corporation's packaging division offers innovative solutions and services for distributing, transporting and storing its customers' products through its multiple brands. Over the past 35 years, the TriMas Group has steadily strengthened its position in the packaging sector. After the takeover of Rieke, Plastic Srl and Taplast were acquired in 2019, followed by Rapak and Affaba & Ferrari in 2020, Omega Plastics in 2021, Intertech in 2022 and Aarts Packaging in 2023. European pump production units are located in Italy, Slovakia, the UK and the Netherlands, with additional plants in the USA, Mexico and China. In Vietnam, at Hô Chi Minh, the current plant will be replaced by a new, larger and more modern production site, scheduled to open in 2025. |
