Mason Wells Newsletter 2018 – Volume 1

• L.B. White Company, LLC Acquires Reeves Supply, Inc.
• Pacon Corporation Acquires CPP International’s Art & Craft Division
• Nelipak Healthcare Packaging featured in Healthcare Packaging Magazine
• Mason Wells Announces 2018 Staff Promotions

On December 19, 2017, L.B. White Company, LLC, a Mason Wells Buyout Fund IV portfolio company, acquired Reeves Supply, Inc. of Franklin, Georgia.

Reeves Supply is a leading manufacturer of evaporative cooling systems and parts for the poultry industry. Over the Company’s 20-year history, it has become a leader in the poultry cooling market. Reeves Supply is at the forefront of confinement cooling design and innovation and sets the industry standards for quality, reliability, and service. Poultry growers depend on Reeves cooling solutions to maintain the required temperature and ventilation rates to support animal health at various ages, weights, and densities.

Based in Onalaska, Wisconsin, L.B. White is a manufacturer of branded forced-air, radiant and variable rate heating equipment and parts for the global swine, poultry, and construction markets.

“Bringing together the two leaders of heating and cooling solutions for the livestock confinement industry will provide a number of benefits to L.B. White’s and Reeves’ customers. The combined resources of the two companies provide our customers enhanced value through expanded product development, geographic, and market expansion capabilities,” said Kevin Gagermeier, President and Chief Executive Officer of L.B. White.

For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.lbwhite.com.

Pacon Corporation, a leading global supplier of education, art, and craft products, announced on October 30, 2017, that it acquired the assets of CPP International, LLC’s Art and Craft Division.

CPP (Carolina Pad and Paper) serves the retail market with a variety of art and craft products under the popular Ghostline® and UCreate™ brands, including construction paper, art pads, and poster board. CPP’s arts and crafts business will be moved to Pacon’s headquarters in Appleton, Wisconsin.

This is the fourth acquisition for Pacon, a Mason Wells Buyout Fund III portfolio company. With this acquisition, Pacon now offers customers an even more extensive line of art and craft products, strengthening its ability to be a single-source supplier for educational aids, paper products, and art and craft materials.

“We are excited to expand our art and craft category through this acquisition,” said Jim Schmitz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pacon. “The addition of Ghostline®  and UCreate™ products supports our mission to engage, inspire, and empower teachers, students, and artists to be their best by providing them superior educational and art products. CPP has many loyal customers. The entire Pacon team is determined to deliver excellent customer service and exceptional product quality to ensure we earn and sustain their trust.”

“Mason Wells was pleased to support the Pacon management team in its acquisition of CPP’s art and craft division,” said Chris Pummill, a Director at Mason Wells. He added, “The acquisition enhances Pacon’s market reach and product line. It is yet another example of management’s ability to identify, acquire, and integrate complementary businesses.”

For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.pacon.com.

Nelipak Healthcare Packaging, a global provider of custom thermoformed packaging that provides protection for medical devices and pharmaceuticals, was featured in the November issue of Healthcare Packaging Magazine for its innovative design, development, manufacturing, and packaging for implants.

The article titled “Sealing Machinery Proves Critical for Implant Packaging” explains how patient safety is at the core of Establishment Labs, where packaging equipment and materials are vital to the Company’s body shaping implants.

Downstream packaging machinery and materials serve essential functions, according to Salvador Dada, Establishment Labs’ Chief Operating Officer. In particular, he points to two new NX-T1 medical tray sealing machines from Nelipak Healthcare Packaging.

Establishment Labs began selling implants in late 2010, and the Company produces more than 400 different sizes and shapes of body contour implants. These implants are sold to hospitals, clinics, and plastic surgeons for aesthetic and reconstruction enhancement procedures. Mr. Dada says, “These are the most innovative and state-of-the-art implants in the market. And we have the lowest numbers of complications recorded in the market due to its unique features.”

With ten manufacturing locations across the United States, Central America, and Europe, Nelipak’s NX-T1 medical tray sealing machines allow for manufacturing and packaging for implants, which require sterility to remain intact throughout their 5-year validated shelf life. The product must be kept at temperatures between 4°C and 40°C.

“Packaging is critical as it [provides] a sterile barrier and protects the device from harm during its shelf life and maintains its sterility,” said Mr. Dada, explaining there are two packaging sizes for 80 different sizes of silicone implants.

Before using the Nelipak NX-T1 equipment, Establishment Labs used sealing equipment from a different vendor. In searching for additional equipment, the Company evaluated various suppliers, eventually visiting Nelipak’s Cranston, Rhode Island facility to “test drive” the NX-T1 tabletop tray and blister heat sealers.

“The main reason for the switch was the technological features the Nelipak equipment provides,” explains Mr. Dada, “Specifically, the digital controls, the ability to upload the data into cloud-based systems, the one-piece flow configurability, the zone-seal feature, and the regulations Nelipak adheres to in building its machines.”

Establishment Labs uses two of the machines within a Class VII Clean Room just before sterilizing the implants in their primary package.

Mr. Dada notes the Nelipak machines are user-friendly, allow for easy parts changeover, and require little maintenance. “Moreover,” he says, “there is good spare part availability. The service is a highlight, and the cost is acceptable. To compare it with other technologies, Nelipak makes a great choice.”

With its combination of Nelipak sealing machinery and sterile barrier materials, Establishment Labs is positioned to take advantage of the growing implant market, and maintain its focus on patient safety.

For more information, please visit Healthcare Packaging’s website at www.healthcarepackaging.com.