Comar, a premier supplier of custom medical devices & assemblies and specialty packaging solutions, announced today it has acquired Automatic Plastics Ltd., a contract manufacturer of injection molded products primarily for the medical device and pharmaceutical sectors. The company is headquartered in Wicklow, Ireland just south of Dublin. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is backed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners.
Automatic Plastics Ltd. (APL), in operation for 50 years and led by owner and managing director Al Lawless and commercial director Andrea Cawley, specializes in custom design, development, molding, and assembly of medical devices and rigid pharmaceutical packaging. APL operates out of an ISO 13485 certified production facility that houses 30 injection molding machines ranging from 25 to 485 tons with expertise in design and development, overmolding, two-shot molding, automation, desiccant handling and packaging, and custom printing.
The combination of APL and Comar enhances Comar’s medical device and pharmaceutical packaging manufacturing expertise and represents the first step in its global expansion. With Ireland being one of the world’s major medtech and pharmaceutical industry hubs, the acquisition provides an exceptional foundation for Comar to supply its multinational customers and grow in European healthcare markets. The combined company will have 11 manufacturing facilities and over 1200 employees worldwide.
“We have proudly served our customers for the last five decades and cannot wait to provide more for them in the future as a part of Comar,” said Al Lawless, Managing Director of APL. “From the beginning we have trusted in Comar, their capabilities, and most importantly, their culture. They know how to partner with companies, mentor teams, and empower them to drive growth. We truly believe Comar will bring the focus and resources necessary to elevate APL to the next level of performance.”
Mike Ruggieri, CEO of Comar added, “We are so excited to welcome the APL team to the Comar family. As part of our global vision, we believe it is critical to have a presence in Europe to better serve our medical and pharmaceutical customers many of whom have global reach. APL has superb quality, best-in-class manufacturing, and a spectacular management team that can carry our strategic initiatives forward. We look forward to a successful partnership and continuing our growth journey together.”
Comar, headquartered in Voorhees, New Jersey, USA has ten strategic engineering, manufacturing, and distribution locations and employs a host of plastic molding technologies, including injection molding, injection blow molding, injection stretch blow molding, and extrusion blow molding, which are complemented by a full suite of value-added service offerings.
For more than 70 years, Comar has partnered with clients to launch high-impact packaging and medical solutions—transforming them from concept to reality, where they can positively impact the world around us. Comar is majority-owned by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners.
Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Wicklow, Ireland near Dublin, Automatic Plastics Ltd. (APL) is a custom plastic injection moulding company with 50 years of experience and expertise in injection moulding and automated assembly. APL offers a bespoke service through every stage of a client’s requirements: advising on initial design, providing project management support for mould design and build, producing precision manufactured parts and assemblies, and supporting clients with finished product inventory and logistics solutions.