For the group based in Lyon and specialized in plastic injection, automated assembly and finishing operations, this acquisition is part of a two-pronged strategy in the sectors of health and beauty.
After the acquisition in 2002 of the RR Plastiques company, headquartered in Corveissiat (in the Ain department, East of France), and the creation in 2006 of Rovipharm as part of a joint venture with Rovip, located in Treffort-Cuisat (Ain), the acquisition of Mino Gaillard enables the group Medicos to consolidate its beauty division. Based in Izernore, also in the Ain department, Mino Gaillard is one of the leading European suppliers in thick-walled plastic jars, for the cosmetic and perfume industry.
"Located within 35 km of one another, the three group entities will be able to easily exchange, share their cultures and implement the industrial and commercial synergies," explained Medicos in a statement.
Moulding and finishing
Founded in 1925, Mino Gaillard is a family business that employs 63 people. It has a factory of 6,500 m2 (70,000sq ft), with a significant strike force in terms of thermoplastic moulding and for decoration and finishing, including an automatic UV-cured coating line. It also has its own technical department and an engineering workshop to design prototype moulds.
Mino Gaillard manufactures a wide range of standard and specific products, such as caps and closures, thermoplastic set boxes for the main market players and, of course, thick-walled jars for which the company is one of the European specialists. The company took a part in the "PlastiGlass" project aiming to achieve, with a multi-injection process, thick-walled jars, with high transparency and a sensory aspect similar to glass, and offering exceptional technical characteristics (chemical inertness, mechanical strength...).
In a very different field, the company also produces cheese strainers, individual moulds and block moulds, in plastic, for the dairy industry, an area where the company is the European leader.
It is ISO 9001 certified and is in the process of being certified ISO 14001 with the aim of continuously improving its environmental performance.
In 2011, the sales of Mino Gaillard exceeded EUR 7 million, with 70% for perfumes and cosmetics and 30% for the dairy industry. Its customers are among the big names in cosmetics and perfumes (Clarins, Dipta-Esthederm, Givenchy, L’Oréal, Shiseido, YSL, Yves Rocher,...) and the food industry (Bongrain, Besnier Group, Lactalis, Société des Caves de Roquefort, etc..). The transaction is expected to provide a boost to the company, particularly for its developments and for the amplification of its commercial reach.
As the head of the company since 1985, Jean-Pierre Goillon will provide his assistance to Cédric Marmonier, President of Medicos, in the conduct of the company and in the development and industrialization of new projects.
A major player in the beauty industry
Finally, this transaction will enable the Medicos group to become a major player in the beauty industry. The operation provides the perfume and cosmetic division of the group with a better visibility, both in France and abroad, and will enable Medicos to offer a broader offer to European perfumers and cosmetic manufacturers. It also has a balancing effect on the group’s activities, historically oriented in the medical and pharmaceutical sector.
At the industrial level, this acquisition should enable the group to benefit from industrial synergies and to combine the mutual technical skills of its different entities, particularly in the moulding of thermoplastic elastomers, the production and assembly of plastic parts in a controlled atmosphere, finishing and on line UV coating of components, etc.. to strengthen its position on high value added manufactured products.
Created in 2002 and fully owned by Cédric Marmonier, Medicos employs 130 people scattered in its three production sites. The group should achieve in 2012 a turnover of EUR 22 million euros, with 30% of sales on exports.
