1983

The Tylenol incident in Chicago occurred, in which someone poisoned bottles of pain medicine, and suddenly the demand for tamper evident banding and sleeving machinery grew dramatically.

At the same time, a venture in Montdidier, France, headed by a talented design engineer, Jean-Claude Vandevoorde, eventually became PDC Europe. Anatole and Jean-Claude became close friends, as did their wives, and they traveled extensively together over the years.

PDC International and PDC Europe collaborated closely, holding technical and marketing conferences in both the USA and France, resulting in many technical innovations and new products. PDC Europe, now managed by Jean-Claude’s son, Derek Vandevoorde, has continued to thrive for over 35 years, building both shrink and stretch sleeving equipment.