The whole story

The OPACKGROUP was founded on May 24th, 2000. The origins of the company date back to 1972, when Oerlemans Plastics BV was founded. Joan Hanegraaf became CEO of Oerlemans Plastics in 1993, and expanded the company by adding a location (Giessen); later on, he began taking over other companies. The first of these was Altas, which was integrated into the Giessen location. Currently, around 270 employees work for Oerlemans Plastics. In 1999, Perfon BV is taken over. This was part of the packaging producer’s strategy to become a full-service provider of a wide range of packaging materials and films.

On January 1st, 2000, Plasthill BV has joined the group. Plasthill is a leading manufacturer of wide polyethylene film products. Films for the agriculture and horticulture sector are produced through a process of single extrusion, and also for construction and industrial purposes. In this way, by the end of that year a strong cooperation has arisen between manufacturers at various sites in The Netherlands, who formed a group called Oerlemans Packaging BV. This was the foundation for the OPACKGROUP. Oosterwolde Plastic Industrie (OPI) joins the group in 2010. One of OPI’s specialties is the production of LDPE and HDPE meat packaging, films, sheets and bags. OPI produces waste bags very efficiently, with modern and fast machines, including prints, if desired, right after the extruder.

Three years later, Fardem Packaging in Edam is taken over. This factory has a wealth of experience in the field of packaging: Since 1884, it has manufactured various types of packaging, especially intended for carrying heavier weights. Both mono and coex films are produced in Edam. One of Fardem Packaging’s specialties is the production of 25-50 kg packaging for industrial use. This film/tube or these bags can be printed very efficiently inline, up to 8 colors.

Flexpak BV was taken over on May 1st, 2016. Laminated film is one of Flexpak’s specialties. Frisiapack is acquired in 2019, which integrates the specialism of manufacturing stretch sleeves into the production processes of Oerlemans Plastics. Besides, Ecolon is added to the group, in order to enhance the expertise regarding barrier packaging.

Later that year, the Oerlemans Technology Center and the Oerlemans Repro Center open, under the name of OTC and ORC, respectively. With these independent centers for Research & Development and reprography, a knowledge lab has arisen that is used by the whole group. This setup provides the company’s customers with substantive information on the packaging characteristics, and advice on the optimum usage of the packaging. The newest addition to the group took place in 2021, although this company carries a load of valuable experience as well. Stempher Verpakkingsindustrie BV, founded in 1890, expands the large packaging portfolio of the group with flexible paper packaging, which they produce in large quantities for the international market, besides PE packaging materials.  The arrival of the company from Rijssen has contributed to a growth of the total number of employees to 760, and a widely ramified customer network in 40 countries all over the world.

This new position implies that the family company and its seven sister companies at ten sites can provide solutions for almost any market in the field of flexible packaging and films. In 2022, a new packaging program has been launched that contributes to the transition to a circular economy, and helps many companies to operate in a sustainable way. The context is a broad one; not only the packaging itself, but the characteristics of the packaging materials also contribute towards sustainable business operations; from more efficient transport to making the fresh produce last longer. By the end of 2022, the vastly expanded group of packaging manufacturers continues under the name of OPACKGROUP BV. In 2023, the activities of Papierindustrie Adriaan Dekker in Wormer are taken over and integrated within Stempher. Nowadays, seven parties are cooperating in the OPACKGROUP every day, looking for sustainable packaging solutions!