While supplement manufacturer B&C brings to the table 20 years of manufacturing and technical expertise, Merical specialises in primary custom packaging for the vitamin, herbal, nutritional and pharmaceutical markets.
The combination will allow for the provision of a "complete and high quality turn-key package", according to Merical chairman and CEO Dean Baltzell. The custom manufacturing industry is notoriously competitive; while some players have sought to carve out a specialist niche or diversify into other services, B&C and Merical's shored-up capability will differentiate them from other companies.
Michael Schlinger, chairman and CFO of B&C, said: "Both companies have grown and succeeded by making great products and taking exceptional care of their customers. We expect the new organization to improve upon this tradition."
The new company, which is yet to be named, will be managed by the two companies' top executives: B&C president and director Jack Butler becomes its president of technology, while Jeffrey Stallings, president of Merical Vita-Pak, will manage day-to-day operations.
Details of the transaction, which is expected to close this month, have not been disclosed.