A JOINT STATEMENT FROM ACMA S.P.A., THEEGARTEN-PACTEC GMBH & CO KG AND LOESCH VERPACKUNGSTECHNIK + CO. KG GMBH

ACMA S.p.A., Theegarten-Pactec GmbH and Loesch Verpackungstechnik + Co. KG GmbH, among the leading European original equipment manufacturers operating on the market for many years, wish to share important information with their customers.

As companies that hold research and innovation into the highest regard, we are constantly monitoring market developments and trends, that we closely observe also in lights of the needs expressed by our clients.

Working closely with them gives us the chance not only to constantly improve the quality and performance of our machines (by driving our research and development efforts and measuring the impact and success of our long-standing models), but also to observe the conducts of competitors from all around the world.

Being advocates of fair competition, we strongly condemn companies that wrongly exploit the resources put into the engineering our carefully crafted models, that contributed to the success and history of our companies after many years in the field.

In such context, we recently came across machines and, in some cases, entire lines that appear to be blatant imitations of original models engineered, developed and marketed by ACMA S.p.A., Theegarten-Pactec GmbH and Loesch Verpackungstechnik + Co. KG GmbH.

The similarities, if not identity, of such machines and lines compared to their original counterparts are, by all means, not merely coincidental, but the result of intentional endeavors.

As a matter of fact, to the extent that we have been able to ascertain so far, such machines and lines not only replicate the design and overall appearance of our original models, but also reproduce their key components (even in the smallest, non-essential details).

What we find particularly alarming is that these imitations are not limited to functional similarities, but rather replicate all features, even elements that are not required for technical reasons and that are rather deliberate creative choices.

This is clearly aimed at unlawfully exploiting our companies’ efforts put into building, over time, efficient and reliable models without incurring into the costs necessary for independently developing other machines (that would most certainly to the development of the entire sector), thus having the chance of offering them on the market at cheaper prices that may seem appealing to some.

We believe that such conducts constitute infringements of our legitimate rights, that cannot - and will not - be tolerated by our companies.

In this respect, we have already undertaken initiatives to prosecute such infringements and enforce our rights and prerogatives.

However, in light of the seriousness of the issue and of circumstances that we have been informed of, we believe it is important to address the issue with all our clients, also since we have been informed that some of them have already purchased machines from entities that are responsible of such endeavors.

In this respect, we wish to highlight that also the subjects buying and/or using machines that illegitimately exploit our original models and their features could be involved in such unlawful conducts and/or in legal proceedings against the manufacturer(s) and seller(s) thereof.

In any case, as already highlighted, purchasing infringing machines means buying products that unlawfully exploit the outcome of our companies’ years of investments in research, design, and technological innovation.

We highly value the trust you place in our products and this is why we are confident that, also by sharing the same values, our clients - including potential ones - will understand and appreciate the reasons the led us to issuing this joint communication, sparking from our belief that all business relationships should be pivoting on the principles of fairness, trust and transparency.

Our teams remain fully available to answer any questions you may have and provide information on our models.

ACMA S.P.A. - THEEGARTEN-PACTEC GMBH & CO KG - LOESCH VERPACKUNGSTECHNIK + CO. KG GMBH