Reusable plastic container (RPC) company IFCO continues its expansion in South America with the purchase of Colombia's leading RPC provider, Empacotecnia SAS.

In a release, IFCO Systems CEO Wolfgang Orgeldinger said the acquisition complemented strong organic growth in South America, where the company also has operations in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

He highlighted Empacotecnia had shown strong financial returns and promising growth prospects for the IFCO family.

"We are excited to build on the existing leadership of Empacotecnia in the Colombian supply chain for fresh food to deliver value for retailers, growers and producers. The acquisition will provide step change for the RPC footprint of IFCO in Latin America,"

Empacotecnia recorded revenue of US$3.3 million in the 2015 calendar year with about six million RPC rentals, and it has predicted strong growth in the coming years as it expands penetration with major retail partners and launches RPC products in new sectors.

The Colombian group´has seven service centers in the country and about 124 employees, servicing major retailers Grupo Exito and Cencosud Colombia, as well as about 218 producers.

IFCO's first trays were developed in Germany, but the company is owned by Australia-based Brambles Group.

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