ULMA Packaging opens its subsidiary in Colombia

Oct 29, 2020
ULMA is strengthening its presence in the Latin American market with the opening of a new subsidiary in Bogotá and is positioning itself as one of the leading suppliers of comprehensive packaging solutions

After almost three decades serving Colombian customers through local distributors, ULMA Packaging is taking another step in its consolidation as a leading global supplier of packaging solutions, strengthening its presence in Colombia by providing commercial service and technical assistance through its own subsidiary.

ULMA Packaging will therefore approach a market of over 50 million inhabitants more directly and with a local presence. It has a high population density and a thriving meat market, a sector that is ULMA Packaging's premier global market.  Despite the difficult international situation generated by COVID-19, ULMA Packaging wanted to go ahead with the implementation of its long-term project in the Colombian market, which resulted in the opening of the subsidiary in Bogotá in 2020. “The decision to establish ourselves in Colombia had already been taken before the outbreak of the pandemic, and we decided to go ahead despite the difficult international situation. We had a plan for this implementation that we had already been working on for months and we took this step in order to serve the local market directly and offer a better service to our customers”, commented Iñaki Zubia, Sales Director at ULMA Packaging.

With a team of sales, technical service and administrative staff led by Fabio Ríos, who has extensive experience in the Colombian market, the subsidiary is committed to providing a personalised technical service for customers. The fact that the technical side makes up 50% of the workforce is a clear sign of this. The subsidiary is strategically located near to Bogotá airport, and will also serve from Medellín and Cali.

From the new subsidiary in Colombia, apart from providing a service to customers, it will also be possible to have spare parts available and even make technical modifications and adaptations in facilities that are operational or being commissioned.

The opening of the new subsidiary will allow us to provide a guaranteed service for strategic sectors such as meat, chicken and cheese, without forgetting other target markets, primarily bakery, biscuits, the fruit and vegetable sector, fish and seafood, and the medical sector.

“The aim of the subsidiary is to consolidate ULMA Packaging's presence in Colombia and to position ourselves as leaders in comprehensive packaging solutions, with a high-quality advisory and after-sales service, and of course, with the support of the technical excellence of ULMA's teams”, said Xabier Arregi, Area Manager for Latin America.

The opening of this subsidiary consolidates one of ULMA's strengths, its well-established global presence, with its own facilities in many of the countries where its equipment is sold, allowing it to offer customers a personalised and local service. This has meant that, even in the current situation where travel is impossible, ULMA Packaging has been able to continue to provide a service to its customers through local resources, even producing and installing new machines. Mobility restrictions have not prevented ULMA from continuing to provide its customers with an excellent service, resolving their technical and commercial needs. With this new step, and together with existing subsidiaries in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, ULMA Packaging provides a stable and consolidated presence in the main food markets in Latin America.