Sistema Plastics

Sistema Plastics is a New Zealand manufacturer of plastic food-storage containers. The company was founded by Brendan Lindsay in 1987, when the business began from Lindsay's home in Cambridge, New Zealand. Its name is derived from the Italian word for “system,” reflecting the organizing and modular purpose associated with its container designs. The business developed around reusable kitchen-storage products, with a particular focus on plastic containers designed for household food storage. Its principal brand families include KLIP IT and Klipo. The company emphasizes BPA-free plastic kitchen-storage containers, positioning its products around practical organization, stackability, closure systems, and everyday food preservation rather than around premium tableware or industrial packaging. Sistema expanded from its New Zealand origins into an internationally distributed consumer-products business. Its manufacturing base in Auckland remained an important part of the company’s identity and operations. The brand’s products are associated with the broader housewares and food-storage category, serving consumers who need containers for refrigerators, freezers, pantries, lunches, and general kitchen organization. The available reference material does not provide a complete market-by-market distribution profile, revenue history, or detailed product catalogue. In 2017, Newell Brands acquired Sistema Plastics for NZ$660 million, reported at the time as approximately US$470 million. Following the acquisition, Sistema became part of Newell Brands’ wider portfolio of consumer and household-product businesses. The transaction marked a major ownership transition from an independently developed New Zealand company to a brand within a large international consumer-goods group. Sistema has also received recognition for manufacturing and operational capabilities. In 2018, it was named Plastics Training Company of the Year by the New Zealand Plastics Industry. In 2019, it received the Technology Innovator award in the Epicor Customer Excellence Global Awards programme, reportedly in recognition of its use of automated processes. The company’s Auckland manufacturing operations attracted attention again in November 2024, when Sistema confirmed that approximately 100 workers at its Auckland factory would be laid off by Christmas 2024. The available source does not give the full rationale, implementation details, or longer-term effect of the workforce reduction. Sistema remains identified as a New Zealand food-storage-container business under Newell Brands ownership, with KLIP IT and Klipo as its key named product brands.

Sistema Plastics was established in 1987 by Brendan Lindsay in Cambridge, New Zealand. The business began on a small, founder-led basis from Lindsay's home and later developed into a manufacturer of reusable plastic food-storage products. The name Sistema comes from the Italian word for “system,” a reference consistent with the company's focus on organized, modular kitchen storage. The company's core activity became the design and manufacture of plastic containers for food storage and household organization. Its products were marketed under the KLIP IT and Klipo names and were described as BPA-free kitchen-storage containers. The product concept centered on reusable containers that could be arranged, closed, and stored efficiently in domestic kitchens. The available reference material does not document every product generation or the complete evolution of the company's manufacturing footprint, but it identifies food-storage containers as the defining business category. From its New Zealand base, Sistema developed into a company with distribution beyond its home market. Auckland remained the location of its factory and an important part of its operating history. The company was recognized by the New Zealand plastics sector in 2018, when it was named Plastics Training Company of the Year. This award indicates recognition of its contribution to workforce training within the plastics industry, although the available material does not describe the specific programme or criteria. In 2019, Sistema received the Technology Innovator award in the Epicor Customer Excellence Global Awards programme. The award was associated with the company's use of automated processes, highlighting an operational and manufacturing dimension alongside its consumer-facing brand activity. No detailed account of the technologies, facilities, or implementation timeline is provided in the reference material. A major turning point came in 2017, when Newell Brands acquired Sistema Plastics for NZ$660 million, reported as approximately US$470 million. The acquisition brought the New Zealand container manufacturer into Newell Brands' international portfolio. The transaction changed Sistema's ownership structure while preserving its identity as a named food-storage brand. The supplied material does not specify whether the purchase included all facilities, employees, intellectual property, or distribution arrangements, so those details remain unconfirmed here. The Auckland manufacturing site became the subject of workforce news in November 2024. Sistema confirmed plans to lay off about 100 workers at the factory by Christmas that year. The source material does not explain whether the reduction resulted from restructuring, demand conditions, automation, capacity changes, or another factor, and it does not provide a confirmed account of the site's later status. Sistema Plastics is therefore best understood as a New Zealand-origin food-storage-container manufacturer whose brand identity was built around reusable plastic kitchen organization, whose principal named lines are KLIP IT and Klipo, and whose ownership has been part of Newell Brands since 2017. Its history combines founder-led origins, manufacturing recognition, automation-related operational recognition, acquisition by a global consumer-products group, and later workforce changes at its Auckland factory.

• 2024

  Auckland factory workforce reduction

  [1]Sistema Plasticsen.wikipedia.org

  Sistema confirmed that about 100 workers at its Auckland factory would be laid off by Christmas 2024.

• 2019

  Technology Innovator award

  [1]Sistema Plasticsen.wikipedia.org

  Sistema won the Technology Innovator award in the Epicor Customer Excellence Global Awards programme for its use of automated processes.

• 2018

  Plastics Training Company of the Year

  [1]Sistema Plasticsen.wikipedia.org

  Sistema was named Plastics Training Company of the Year by the New Zealand Plastics Industry.

• 2017

  Acquisition by Newell Brands

  [1]Sistema Plasticsen.wikipedia.org

  Newell Brands acquired Sistema Plastics for NZ$660 million, reported as approximately US$470 million.

• 1987

  Sistema Plastics is founded

  [1]Sistema Plasticsen.wikipedia.org

  Brendan Lindsay founded Sistema Plastics from his home in Cambridge, New Zealand.

Practical, reusable, BPA-free plastic food-storage and kitchen-organization products, with an emphasis on modular systems, secure closures, and household convenience.

• Food-storage containers

  KLIP IT

  KLIP IT is one of Sistema Plastics' principal named product families. It comprises reusable plastic food-storage containers associated with the company's focus on BPA-free kitchen organization. The line is built around practical household storage, including the containment and organization of food in domestic kitchens. The available source identifies the brand family but does not provide a complete list of sizes, formats, closure specifications, or product-generation dates.

• Food-storage containers

  Klipo

  Klipo is a named Sistema Plastics brand family for plastic kitchen and food-storage containers. It sits within the company's core category of reusable household storage products and reflects the brand's emphasis on organized, convenient food containment. The supplied reference does not establish the line's launch date, exact assortment, geographic availability, or distinctions from KLIP IT.

• 2024

  Auckland factory workforce reductionStrategy

  Background

  Sistema's Auckland manufacturing operation remained a significant identifiable part of the company's New Zealand presence.

  Action taken

  Sistema confirmed that approximately 100 Auckland factory workers would be laid off by Christmas 2024.

  Aftermath

  The available reference does not establish the stated rationale, whether the reduction was connected to automation or restructuring, or the longer-term effect on the factory.

  Source

• 2017

  Newell Brands acquires Sistema PlasticsM&A

  Background

  Sistema Plastics had developed from a New Zealand-founded manufacturer into a food-storage-container business with distribution beyond its home market.

  Action taken

  Newell Brands purchased Sistema Plastics for NZ$660 million, reported as approximately US$470 million.

  Aftermath

  Sistema became part of Newell Brands' consumer-products portfolio while continuing to be identified as a New Zealand food-storage brand. The available source does not detail subsequent integration arrangements.

  Acquisition price. NZ$660 million (2017 acquisition)

  Source

1. 1Sistema Plasticsen.wikipedia.org