The Italian Newlat Food has put in the sight Plasmon brand. The historic company of food for children, owned by the giant Kraft Heinz, is on sale and the interest of several European and international private equity funds is arousing. According to the latest indiscretion, three candidates would have the group of agri -food newlat, which already has several tricolor brands in the wallet such as Giglio, Polenghi Lombardo and Valverde.
The concern of the unions, who on Friday 7 March will meet the Italian leaders of Kraft Heinz on Friday 7 March.
Newlat’s interest
In 2015 the multinational already had The Plasmon plant in Ozzano sold Taroin the province of Parma, in Newlat, which had continued the production of milk for children in poor and liquid under the Kraft Heinz license.
A year and a half ago the giant decided to move production abroad and the Italian group has maintained the activity in the Emilian factory for the multinational Abbott.
Newlat would intend to try again with the Plasmon factory in Latina, where biscuits for children and homogenized biscuits are produced, aiming for the purchase together with the German Fund of Private Equity Aurelios, specialized in the Mid-Market sector and in the detachment of company branches, present in Italy with different investments since 2021.
The fears of the unions
Kraft Heinz, listed on Wall Street, would have given a mandate to the business bank Houlihan Lokey to proceed with an exploratory assignment to find potential buyers of Plasmon, but the precedent of Ozzano Taro worries worries.
The National Secretary of Flai-Cgil Head of the food industry, Angelo Paolella, said the multinational He did not deny the negotiations with Newlat nor given confirmation.
277 workers and workers employed in the historic Latina plant, from September 2024 in layoffs and struggling with decreased volumes that do not allow a production at full capacity.
“For some time we have been asking the Kraft Heinz a plan of relaunching the site – Angelo Paolella told Il Sole 24 Ore – We are not concerned that the factory can close, it is a factory and a historical brand. But if the market continues not to be fine, sooner or later the layoffs ends and the redundancies are triggered “.
According to the trade union representative “the sale of activities by foreign multinationals is part of the operations decided by the group’s headquarters, the Italian management has no margins on these operations and is often informed only at the end”.
While the meeting between the acronyms and the company is scheduled, no convocation has arrived from the government despite the Fai-Cisl, the Flai-Cgil and the Uila-Uilf have asked for a meeting with competent ministries.
