Oracal USA, with 145 employees and a manufacturing and distribution facility in Black Creek, will merge with Orafol Americas Inc., of Avon, Conn., the parent firm of both companies announced Friday.
The announcement from Orafol Europe, GmbH, said the merger positions the combined company as a leading manufacturer of pressure-sensitive films, reflective materials and industrial tapes in the Americas. Effective July 1, the companies will be restructured to form Orafol Americas Inc. with Oracal president and CEO Randall Mertz as CEO and Andrew McNeill, current president and CEO of Orafol Americas, as president.
A statement from the company indicated Mertz and McNeill are working through the details of a new leadership hierarchy.
“They have created a merger team that will begin the process of merging our departments, processes, looking for opportunities to improve business and manufacturing efficiencies,” the statement said.
Mertz said the merger will create more efficiencies and give the combined firm a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
“The Black Creek facility will continue to be the center of excellence for graphics and industrial tapes, and the Avon facility will continue to be the center of excellence for reflective products,” he said. “We are excited about the opportunities this merger will bring to all of our employees and customers.
“Our aggressive growth plans will require continued investment in people, technology, equipment and factories, as well as new products and market opportunities.”
Together, Oracal USA and Orafol Americas Inc. have complementary product lines and a long-term strategic view focused on innovation, Mertz said.
Oracal USA began in 1995 as an exclusive importer of Orafol’s vinyl films and related adhesive products.
With the completion of the Black Creek facility in Bryan County’s Interstate Centre industrial park in 2006, Oracal began manufacturing product lines to supplement the imports. A 90,000-square-foot addition was added later. In 2009, Oracal was named Georgia’s small manufacturer of the year. Products are sold under the Reflexite and ORALITE brand names with the trademark “Engineered to Save Lives.”
Orafol’s current corporate structure was established in 1991 following the unification of East and West Germany. Today, Orafol Europe has more than 1.5 million square feet of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Oranienburg, Germany, and distributors in more than 80 countries across the globe.