Company Name: Valgroup
Employee Name and Role: Dan Maiorino, Director of Commercial Operations
By Sarah Mayle
How long have you worked here, what do you do, and what do you enjoy about working here?
Thirty-six years ago, Dan Maiorino’s career in the plastics industry started as a teenager in Canada, when he took a fortuitous summer job in sales. Initially charmed by engaging with American contacts, he quickly realized he was intrigued by a great deal more.
Dan Maiorino
“I was talking to people from all over the U.S.,” Maiorino said. “And as a Canadian boy who watches U.S. TV, it was like, ‘They’re from the states, it’s like on TV!’ It was a novelty, and I just enjoyed it. But I really fell in love with the packaging industry. I got a sense of a large industry – an international industry – but a tight-knit community. It has opened the door for great friendships and mentors.”
His long-time work in the plastics industry led him to Valgroup in 2015, when the current facility opened in Findlay. Today, Maiorino is director of commercial operations for the company – specifically, he oversees sales of the pallet wrap film division and leads sustainability for U.S. operations. He is passionate about Valgroup’s vision for continuous improvement and its exceptional commitment to the environment.
“I learned early on that we need to make plastic better, stronger, and engineered so we can use less to do more,” Maiorino said. “I like that idea of optimizing and making things efficient. I appreciate how we are always trying to be better for the environment and though there is no doubt there is some negativity surrounding plastics, we’re using less plastic than we could have been using. Other products – paper and glass – they’re great, they have a place – but they take a lot of energy to produce. So, I always liked the challenge to find solutions and fell in love with the industry for that. We’re constantly reinventing ourselves.”
As someone who loves to learn, Maiorino is rather multitalented, always picking up new skills and knowledge. He speaks English, French and Italian, and “can follow” Portuguese and Spanish, so he often bridges gaps in communication for the company, even for the marketing department. Early in his career, Maiorino taught himself a thorough understanding of financial reports. He enjoys learning and exchanging ideas with engineers and scientists making revolutionary strides in recycling. And you might also find him helping on the production line, spending time with employees and learning to operate the machines.
The Valgroup production plant in Findlay
About the Company
What is produced / created / services offered by the company?
Valgroup is a $2.3 billion-a-year manufacturer of plastic packaging of both flexible films and rigid containers. The company is one of the world’s largest recyclers of plastics, specifically for products used by the beverage industry, such as PET water and soda bottles. What sets Valgroup apart is that recycling and sustainability have been a central focus since its inception more than 45 years ago, and they have continuously expanded those capabilities.
Valgroup’s headquarters is in Brazil, with additional locations in Colombia, Spain, the United States, Italy, Mexico and Uruguay. It is made up of more than 7,000 employees in 41 production plants and seven distribution centers. Valgroup is a consolidated company that aims to improve society’s quality of life with innovative and sustainable solutions and is one of the first companies in Brazil to sign the Global Commitment of the New Plastics Economy.
Originally called Valfilm when the Findlay plant opened in 2015, the company changed to Valgroup in 2022. As the company grew, Valfilm began producing different plastic products under the same leadership but with separate company names. Consolidating under the Valgroup name brought better understanding and recognizability of the company and its products as a whole, Maiorino said.
Valgroup celebrates its 10-year anniversary in Findlay this year, and they plan to expand further in the U.S. with Findlay as its flagship, headquarter location, Maiorino said. The company will increase its presence in the U.S. through supplying plastic products, but also supplying real-world, pragmatic recycling operations.
“Our main goal right now is to solidify our operations in Findlay and make them premier, a model flagship manufacturing operation that all of our other operations can then piggyback off of,” Maiorino said. “For us, Findlay is really our center for our company.”
At the Findlay plant, Valgroup makes flexible films used for packaging – rolls of technical film for the automotive and construction industries, and stretch film for pallets. They also produce and cut specialty film used for food packaging. With a recent $5 million investment in print capabilities, they can now print on their food packaging, for example shrink bags for meat and cheese you would find in the deli, or a bag of tortilla chips.
Flexible film makes its way through the blown extrusion line at Valgroup
Another step in the process of blown extrusion at Valgroup
In Findlay, they do some postindustrial recycling (recycling of waste produced during production) on-site, Maiorino said. They also have recycling partners throughout the country they send waste to for processing, where plastic is cleaned and transformed into resin pellets, then shipped back to Valgroup. The pellets are melted in Findlay for use in making products.
“We’re making films that have 25 to 40 percent recycled content, so it’s not all virgin plastic,” Maiorino said.
Reflective of the company as a whole, Maiorino visits customers as part of his work to help them optimize their packaging and wrapping. He performs a waste audit of their operation, looking at what plastic is being used, if any is being wasted, and what is going to a landfill, then asks, “Can we divert it?” The goal is to get it to a recycling partner where it can be reprocessed into plastic pellets and used again by Valgroup.
“We’re not only here to sell plastic, but it’s about, ‘Can you use less, can you reduce your consumption?’” Maiorino said. “Let’s recycle your waste and put it back into packaging but do it in a way that’s actually profitable – because even if you’re doing the right thing, it can be hard to get people to do something if it’s not profitable.
“We take that pragmatic Valgroup approach toward a long-term sustainable plan. We are changing the whole supply chain to make it viable and profitable as a business, which also benefits the environment.”
What is your founding story? What makes you stand out?
Valgroup is exceptionally focused on recycling. Not only is it part of their founding story, but scientific advancements made by the company in recycling will revolutionize the plastics industry and likely much more.
Resin pellets used to make specialty plastic film at Valgroup
At the time of Valgroup’s founding in Brazil making plastic bags, there was limited supply of the plastic resin needed to make them. And so, to make the business viable, Valgroup founders started a recycling operation and reused plastic bags to generate new resin. Their recycling capabilities continuously grew, and in 2000, they began recycling PET containers, the type of plastic used for food containers and bottles.
“Recycling is in our nature – it’s in our DNA. Everyone is talking about it now, but we’ve been doing it for nearly 50 years with a pragmatic and commercially viable formula,” Maiorino said. “We have never forgotten our roots.”
Today, Valgroup vows to become carbon neutral and recycle 100 percent of the amount of plastic it produces by 2040, and they have developed the technology to do it. Through a complex chemical process, Valgroup can take any type of mixed plastics, essentially “melt” it, and return it to its original form – oil and gas.
“There are technologies that we are working on to clean up the litter problem and recapture the plastic,” Maiorino said. “…We’re working on taking the worst of the worst mixed plastic, the most difficult to recycle, and bringing it back to its original state. It’s kind of like aluminum cans, we see them as litter except where you can get a deposit for them, there’s value. If we give value to plastic, it won’t become litter or waste.
“We produce plastic because it’s needed, it’s got a lower carbon footprint – the issue with plastic is sometimes it ends up as litter. But that’s our goal – we’re working on that as an industry to take that back and recycle in a way that’s clean, safe and low energy.”
Sustainability is at Valgroup’s core, as stated on their website: “It is our main business focus and is fully integrated into our initiatives to support the development of an efficient circular economy, in which plastics never become waste. To this end, we have made commitments to the environment and society, and we act in an ethical and transparent manner.”
As one browses Valgroup’s website, there is a ticker indicating the number of PET bottles the company has removed from the environment as you read. It’s another small but noticeable way Valgroup shows how recycling is at the forefront of all they do.
Company Culture and Values:
Why did your company choose to locate in Findlay Hancock County / Why is Findlay a great place to do business?
Maiorino explained that, knowing Valgroup wanted to expand into the U.S., long-time partner Dow Chemical approached them in 2014 about taking over their plastic extrusion operation in Findlay.
“Upon the initial visit, it became clear to our management team how well-positioned Findlay was to support the type of operations we wanted to build here in the U.S.,” he said. “Findlay is so well-positioned on I-75, it’s a great community, you’ve got Columbus, Detroit, airports, highways, but it’s that nice family-friendly place to live as well. It really resonated with us.”
The Findlay facility is similar to the company’s facilities in Brazil, where its headquarters is also located in a smaller city between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
“Everything simply aligned well from business to lifestyle. “Within a matter of months, we closed the deal and made major investments in new machinery.”
What has been your involvement with the ED office? Do you have a favorite project or initiative you were a part of during your work with us?
Maiorino served on the Findlay Hancock County Economic Development Advisory Board for three years from 2022 to 2024. Valgroup’s finance manager, Jennifer Cramer, served on the board in the three years prior to Maiorino.
“I was very proud to be part of ED’s continued success in supporting the Long-Term Workforce Strategy of growing the housing market with some great new projects underway,” he said. “It has also been an honor to play a small part in the hard work ED put in to secure 10 years as Top Micropolitan in the U.S. by Site Selection Magazine. I enjoyed interviewing with Site Selection Magazine showcasing Valgroup’s contribution to the “Findlay Formula.”
If there were one take-away you would want people to have about your company, what would it be?
“We are always looking for talent to grow with us in our Valgroup family,” Maiorino said. “You can develop unique skills at Valgroup that are always in demand and can be developed into a skilled career. With us, you can make a difference, the company appreciates you, you can have a direct effect on our results and what we do. It’s nice to see your work – you can see the fruits of your labor easily and work in a tight-knit community – and experience a blend of the best of cultures.”
“We are excited to bring new technology, recycling, and circularity to plastics, making it a valuable resource that can also serve to protect the environment.”
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The die ring of a blown extrusion line, during which a bubble of plastic is formed. The bubble will be run through large machines to be cooled and cut to make technical films
The final product, rolls of Valgroup film, ready for customers
Rolls of technical film, produced at Valgroup
