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OYSTAR Realignment Emphasizes Customer Service

Covingon, KY (January 6, 2010) -- OYSTAR Group, one of the world’s leading providers of processing and packaging technologies, has completed a realignment plan aimed at strengthening its customer focus and increasing its global presence. The plan will not affect the current strategies and focuses of the Group’s American businesses—OYSTAR Packaging Technologies, OYSTAR Jones, and OYSTAR USA.

In a bid to combine and streamline its competencies and expertise, OYSTAR’s 15 individual companies have been consolidated into four business units - Food, Dairy, Consumer and Pharmaceutical. The new structure encapsulates the synergies among the businesses and allows for faster response times and quicker decision-making.

“We are becoming more aggressive from a global standpoint and this reorganization allows us to broaden our horizons,” notes Gordon Bonfield, President of OYSTAR Jones. “And, with significant U.S. representation at the executive level, we have strengthened our commitment to our U.S. customers.”

Under the realignment, Tom Graf, OYSTAR’s CEO and Markus Ehl, COO lead the executive team with Bonfield heading the consumer division and Barry Shoulders, President of OYSTAR Packaging Technologies, leading the food division. Christian Korte, President of the dairy division, and Jens Torkel, President of the pharmaceutical division, round out the executive board. The leadership team marks OYSTAR’s commitment to have a senior leadership that fully represents its global markets.

“We looked at how we could better organize our businesses to be more efficient and better serve our customers,” says Shoulders. “By aligning ourselves based on our four core markets, each business unit operating within these particular markets will have a clearer focus and provide customers with broadened knowledge and service competency.”

In the U.S., Canada, and Mexico OYSTAR USA will continue to serve as the sales arm of the company’s global businesses that include OYSTAR IWK, OYSTAR Hassia, OYSTAR Manesty, OYSTAR A+F, OYSTAR Fabrima, OYSTAR Gasti, OYSTAR Hamba, OYSTAR Huettlin and OYSTAR Tecmar. In March, OYSTAR USA will combine its two sales and services offices and move into a new facility in New Jersey’s Raritan Center, one of the largest business parks in the Northeast. “Our centralization of services will increase our expert local capacities to be certain we continue to provide our customers with the responsiveness and support they have come to expect from OYSTAR USA,” states Charles Ravalli, President OYSTAR USA.

In addition, this summer OYSTAR USA will further expand its services and capabilities by unveiling a lab facility that will accommodate demonstrations of processing equipment from manufacturers like OYSTAR Manesty and OYSTAR Huettlin. 

Maintaining its strong global focus, OYSTAR has also opened sales offices in Brazil, China and Russia, which will be fully operational this year. In these markets, customers will now have a direct line to expert OYSTAR representatives, who will be able to provide clear, accurate information and fast response times. As the company continues to grow, it will continue to look at strategic markets with long-term business potential.

About OYSTAR

OYSTAR The Process & Packaging Group is one the of the world’s leading suppliers of packaging machinery, technology and services.  OYSTAR currently has detailed process know-how in the key sectors of dairy, food and beverages, as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.  The holding company, which is based in Stutensee near Karlsruhe in Germany, currently represents 15 companies and a number of sales and services companies.

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