Orbis acquires Hinkle Manufacturing

Plastic pallet and container manufacturer Orbis Corp. said Tuesday it has acquired Hinkle Manufacturing, a provider of custom dunnage designed for parts protection for the automotive market.

The purchase is Oconomowoc, Wis.-based Orbis' second in that sector in a month. In April, it acquired Response Packaging, a Piedmont, S.C.-based vendor of custom dunnage and fabricated steel rack solutions for the automotive industry. Dunnage is inexpensive or waste material used to load and secure cargo during shipping.

In addition to its line of plastic and foam dunnage, Perrysburg, Ohio-based Hinkle also produces trays and other plastic components at a thermoforming plant in Dearborn, Mich.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Orbis acquired the two companies to strengthen its custom offerings for reusable packaging needs, President Bill Ash said in a statement. "The expertise and capabilities of Hinkle Manufacturing expand our portfolio of custom reusable packaging products and bring even more solutions to the evolving and growing needs that we are seeing in the marketplace,"Ash said.