Gerresheimer AG has acquired Vedat, a Brazilian manufacturer of plastic pharmaceutical packaging products, in an effort to strengthen its pharmaceutical packaging business in South America. Vedat is located in Sao Paolo, Brazil and employs approximately 450 people.

Vedat’s product portfolio includes plastic closures, PET bottles and other plastic containers and the majority of its customers are based in the South American pharmaceutical industry. Gerresheimer currently manufactures plastic pharmaceutical packaging and plastic medical systems for the South American market at three plants in Brazil and one plant in Argentina.

Uwe Rohrhoff, chief executive officer of Gerresheimer AG, commented, “Expanding in emerging markets is a key component of our growth strategy. The acquisition of Vedat, a technology leader and very profitable company in Brazil, is significantly strengthening our position in the South American pharmaceutical primary packaging market. It perfectly fits our strategy of doubling our sales in the emerging markets from EUR 100 million to EUR 200 million by 2013.”