Sidel Group focuses on its Core Business 
        for Blow Moulding and PET Bottle Filling Machines

Sidel Group focuses on its core business and
creates a single corporate structure

In 2002 Sidel will focus efforts on the core of its expertise and will create an integrated organization. The company's evolution will give customers a comprehensive offering centered around its core business of packaging food liquids.

Refocus and Integration
Since he took over the reins at Sidel last November, Gérard Stricher has reinvigorated the Sidel Group by making the strategic decision to "concentrate all of our efforts around Sidel's core of expertise" namely, solutions for packaging food liquids. These operations began with blowing and gradually expanded to include filling and conveying to round out a comprehensive offering. "We possess extraordinary talents in these interrelated sectors, and will be rapidly developing their obvious synergies." From now on, all of the "core business" companies including Sidel, Gebo, Rafale, Alsim, Rémy, Héma, and Girondine, will be managed as a single, homogeneous entity.

A Single Name
To make this "core business" integration official, just one name, Sidel, will be used for all products and services. "This represents our commitment that, regardless of the products we provide, customers receive the same level of service: the best."

Three Product Divisions, One Sales & Services Division
There will be three product divisions within Sidel's core business operations. The "Blowing & Coating" Division, based in Le Havre, France, is responsible for blowing machines and Actis™ barrier treatment systems. The "Filling Systems" Division, headquartered in Parma, Italy, includes the four filling companies and Combi product operations. From its head office in Strasbourg, France, "Packaging Systems" will oversee Sidel's PET line operations and all of Gebo's business. These three product divisions will be responsible for "laying the groundwork for the future and developing new, high-performance products, ensuring manufacturing excellence through the World Class Manufacturing program, and overseeing marketing and strategic relations with our major accounts." "Finally, the "Sales and Services" Division will be responsible for customer relations and technical support offered at the local level." The Division will rely on Sidel's locations based in about twenty different nations. And each international company will be able to propose the complete array of Sidel products and services, offering solutions adapted to local needs.

A New Team
To meet these new objectives, Gérard Stricher has created a new team that is both young and experienced. Half of the team is comprised of executives who have already held top positions at Sidel. The other half is composed of high-level managers who have been recruited from outside the company.
Gérard Stricher continues: "Sidel now has all of the skills and resources needed to undertake this new strategic direction, the implementation of which will be independent from its shareholders."