YORK, Pa., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Tokyo-based Tahara Machinery, Ltd., has licensed Graham Packaging Company, L.P., to manufacture its electrically driven blow-molding machines and market them in Europe.

Tahara President Katsutoshi Saeki said his company would collaborate with Graham Packaging to consolidate Tahara's position as a cutting-edge producer of electrically driven blow-molding machines. Tahara introduced the first electrically driven blow-molding machine in 1994.

Under the licensing agreement, Graham Packaging will manufacture the machines at its Graham Poland factory and market them in Europe through a Warsaw company, Muehsam-Elektromech Jan K. Muehsam i Wspolnicy Spolka Jawna.

Graham Packaging, based in York, Pennsylvania, is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of technology-based, customized blow-molded plastic containers for the branded food and beverage, household, personal care/specialty, and automotive lubricants product categories.

The company has an extensive blue-chip customer base that includes many of the world's largest branded consumer products companies. It produces more than 20 billion container units annually at 84 plants in North America, Europe, and South America and had sales of $2.56 billion in 2008.

Graham Packaging is a leading U.S. supplier of plastic containers for hot-fill juice and juice drinks, sports drinks, drinkable yogurt and smoothies, nutritional supplements, wide-mouth food, dressings, condiments and beers; the leading global supplier of plastic containers for yogurt drinks; a leading supplier of plastic containers for liquid fabric care products, dish care products and hard-surface cleaners; and the leading supplier in the U.S., Canada and Brazil of one-quart/liter plastic motor oil containers.

The Blackstone Group of New York is the majority owner of Graham Packaging.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information provided and statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements only speak as of the date of this press release and Graham Packaging assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release. Such forward-looking statements include information concerning Graham Packaging's possible or assumed future results of operations. These statements often include words such as "approximate," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate" or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Graham Packaging's industry, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond Graham Packaging's control. Accordingly, readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Although Graham Packaging believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, expectations may prove to have been materially different from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise required by law, Graham Packaging also disclaims any obligation to update its view of any such risks or uncertainties or to announce publicly the result of any revisions to the forward-looking statements made in this press release.

SOURCE Graham Packaging Company, L.P.

Back to top