Morgan Stanley Capital Partners Completes Investment in AWT Labels & Packaging

NEW YORK, NY— December 18, 2020 08:00 AM EST

Investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP), the middle-market focused private equity team at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, announced today that they have completed an investment in Advanced Web Technologies Holding Company, which operates as AWT Labels & Packaging and Citation Healthcare Labels (“AWT” or the “Company”), from Mason Wells, a Midwest-based private equity firm. AWT marks MSCP’s third investment in the packaging sector, following previous investments in PPC Flexible Packaging and Comar.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, AWT is a leading provider of labels and flexible packaging solutions focused on healthcare, personal care, food and beverage, household and industrial end markets. Founded in 1976, the Company operates through three facilities in the U.S. and holds a top three market position in the medical device labels and clinical trials labels segments. Through its innovative product design approach and swift speed to market, AWT helps customers address mission-critical application needs.

Eric Kanter, Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, said, “We are excited to partner with AWT and its talented management team. The team has built a phenomenal platform that serves attractive, defensive end markets with best-in-class R&D capabilities. We look forward to building upon the Company’s prior success by investing in assets, capabilities and the management team, and continuing to deliver innovative packaging solutions through organic initiatives and acquisitions.” Eric will become Chairman of AWT as part of the transaction.

Michelle Zeller, President of AWT, stated, “We are thrilled to partner with Morgan Stanley Capital Partners as we enter our next phase of growth. With MSCP’s support, expertise, deep industry knowledge and network in packaging, we plan to expand our current capabilities and geographic footprint while continuing to provide the highest quality products to our customers.”

Jones Day acted as legal advisor to MSCP.

About Morgan Stanley Capital Partners

Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, part of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, is a leading middle-market private equity platform that has invested capital in a broad spectrum of industries for over three decades. Morgan Stanley Capital Partners focuses on privately negotiated equity and equity-related investments primarily in North America and seeks to create value in portfolio companies primarily in a series of subsectors in the business services, consumer, healthcare and industrials markets with an emphasis on driving significant organic and acquisition growth through an operationally focused approach. For further information about Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, please visit www.morganstanley.com/im/capitalpartners.

About Morgan Stanley Investment Management

Morgan Stanley Investment Management, together with its investment advisory affiliates, has more than 729 investment professionals around the world and $715 billion in assets under management or supervision as of September 30, 2020. Morgan Stanley Investment Management strives to provide outstanding long-term investment performance, service and a comprehensive suite of investment management solutions to a diverse client base, which includes governments, institutions, corporations and individuals worldwide. For further information about Morgan Stanley Investment Management, please visit www.morganstanley.com/im.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

About AWT Labels & Packaging

For over 40 years, AWT Labels & Packaging has been providing high-quality labels and flexible packaging solutions for a diverse set of markets including healthcare, food and beverage, personal care, household, and OEM & industrial. AWT retains long-standing relationships with some of the most recognized brands and companies in the world by providing superior quality, unrivaled customer service, state-of-the art color management, and cutting-edge technical design capabilities. With approximately 300 employees, AWT operates three facilities, including the headquarters in Minneapolis, MN, focused primarily on label converting (with some flexible packaging); a flexible packaging plant in South Elgin, IL; and a manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceutical labels used in clinical trials in Long Island, NY. For more information, please visit the Company’s website www.awtlabelpack.com.