Optex Innovation Center Launches With New Leadership
Optex Innovation Center opens as a dedicated extrusion-coating pilot facility, aiming to accelerate early-stage innovation and collaboration for the flexible packaging industry
Optex Innovation Center LLC officially opened in January, with Ed Lincoln appointed operations manager for the extrusion-coating pilot facility.
Formerly known as Optex Process Solutions Inc. and SAM-NA Extrusion Technical Center, the center’s new name reflects the company’s mission to serve as the flexible packaging industry’s destination for early-stage development, collaboration, and education, the company said in a news release.
“At Optex Innovation Center, our focus is on helping customers accelerate innovation in a safe, confidential, efficient, and supportive way,” Lincoln said in a statement. “We provide a collaborative environment where ideas can be tested, refined, and brought to market with confidence.”
Andy Christie, who has led the extrusion coating pilot lab since 2014, will help during the transition.
“While stepping away comes with mixed emotions—this work has been both challenging and rewarding every single day—I’m confident the business is in excellent hands and excited to see the next chapter unfold,” Christie says.
Background
The center says it enables innovation through:
- A state‑of‑the‑art extrusion coating pilot line;
- Deep technical expertise;
- A confidential, collaborative environment for experimentation;
- Independence that ensures customer trust and neutrality; and
- A service model focused on helping companies test, refine, and commercialize new concepts efficiently.
It is backed by members of the Siegel family, long-standing advocates for innovation and sustainability in flexible packaging and extrusion coating.
The Siegel family also owns Mica Corporation, a provider of water-based primers and coatings for 55 years.
The businesses operate independently.
More information about Mica Corporation is available on its website.
More Information
- The Optex Innovation Center operates in Phoenix, New York, at 31 County Route 59.
- The center is booking extrusion coating trials for 2026. Companies can schedule trials by contacting Ed Lincoln, operations manager, at elincoln@optexinnovation.com.
