MANILA - San Miguel Corp. said Monday it acquired an Australian packing firm, as it sought to strengthen its presence in Oceania.

The company said its unit, San Miguel Yamamura Packaging International Ltd., bought Portavin Holdings Pty. Ltd., which operates in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia

Portavin is involved in the bottling of wine, trading, and distribution of packaging products, San Miguel said in a statement.

"These acquisitions will enable our packaging business to further expand in Australia and New Zealand," San Miguel President Ramon Ang said.

"Other than the Australasian region, we will continue to look for opportunities of growth for our packaging business in the Philippines and abroad," he said.

Last year, San Miguel acquired assets of Auckland-based Endeavour Glass Packaging Ltd. It had earlier acquired cork and wine bottle closure manufacturer Vinocor and packaging firm Cospak.