EDITOR’S NOTE: This “Milestones” feature is part of an occasional series by FlexPack VOICE® to highlight companies celebrating an anniversary of their founding in five-year increments.
Since its founding 60 years ago, Liquibox has gone through a number of transformations, including several ownership changes and rebrandings.
The liquid packaging and dispensing company now has locations on five continents—North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia—and about 1,400 workers. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the long-time member of the Flexible Packaging Association is highlighting its 60 years in business by noting a few other milestones, including reaching 500 million items sold of its Encore® connection systems since its inception 15 years ago.
Since 2013, Liquibox has been headed by Ken Swanson, president and CEO, and has been an FPA member since 2014.
Swanson, who is previous chair of FPA, was at the helm during the 2015 acquisition of the company by Olympus Partners, a private equity firm. Following that change in ownership, several acquisitions have taken place, including the 2016 purchase of Maverick®, a flexible packaging and machinery producer in South Africa, and Conotainer, a bag-in-box maker in Spain.
Early in 2020, Olympus bought DS Smith Plastics, a deal that included both its rigid and flexible packaging businesses, a company press release said at the time. The purchase expanded Liquibox’s product portfolio and strengthened its global research-and-development capabilities, the company says.
Liquibox is experiencing stronger demand for bag-in-box across the globe, the company also says. It has invested more than $25 million to cater to market growth by improving its global operations, including opening a new state-of-the-art facility in Madrid, Spain.
Earlier this year, Liquibox announced plans to hire 100 more workers in the U.S. and 55 internationally. It also released Liquipure, a new recycle-ready line of bag-in-box packaging, which includes a mono-material bag solution suitable for beverages. In addition, the company released its first sustainability report this year that included a roadmap and targets toward 2025.
Looking forward, the company said it will focus on e-commerce solutions and meeting the market demand for new bag-in-box applications.
“I’m proud to look back on all that Liquibox has been able to accomplish in the past 60 years,” Swanson says. “And I am confident that we will continue to advance safe and sustainable packaging.”
NOTE TO FPA MEMBERS: If you are celebrating a company milestone this year in a 5-year increment—5, 10, 15, 20, and so on—let us know, so we can let our readers hear about your achievement. Email Tom Barstow, senior editor, at FlexPackVOICEcontent@theygsgroup.com.
Thomas A. Barstow is senior editor of FlexPack VOICE®.