Each year, FPA recognizes members who are celebrating anniversaries with the organization in five-year increments. In 2021, 28 companies reached one of those milestones. Some of the companies recently responded to surveys that give a glimpse at what they do in the flexible packaging industry.
5 Years: 2016
CleanPlanet Chemical, Inc.: CleanPlanet was formed in 2011 to modernize solvent distillation technology and the delivery model, increasing its safety, ease of use, and effectiveness, the company says. “Included in CleanPlanet’s comprehensive service offering is the recycling equipment—with no capital investment—installation, training, ongoing repair, and maintenance,” says Alex Richert, CEO of the Austin, Texas-based company.
Ship & Shore Environmental, Inc.: Ship & Shore assists clients with clean air solutions. It custom engineers, designs, fabricates, and maintains pollution abatement equipment that treats emissions from several industries, including those in the flexible packaging industry. It also assists with air quality permitting and aftermarket services and maintenance. “The implementation of pollution control equipment and environmental measures should be considered just as important as the expansion and addition of production equipment,” says Anoosheh Oskouian, CEO of Ship & Shore.
Other companies that joined FPA in 2016:
- Advanced Web Technologies – Illinois, Inc.
- Hart Flex Pack
- INDEVCO Plastics
- Inland
- Kendall Packaging Corporation
- PolyExpert Inc.
- Toppan USA, Inc.
- Toyo Ink America, LLC
- Zacros America, Inc.
10 Years: 2011
RKW North America, Inc.: Located in Franklin, Kentucky, RKW North America provides high-performance films used in flexible packaging, personal care, and industrial applications. Its broad product range includes highly engineered mono and multi-layer technologies. It is part of theRKW Group, an independent, family-owned company based in Mannheim, Germany. The company has more than 3,000 employees worldwide.
Other companies that joined FPA in 2011:
- Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
- EFI
- Emerald Packaging, Inc.
- LyondellBasell
- Plastic Packaging Technologies, LLC
- Transcendia
15 Years: 2006
Davis-Standard, LLC: Davis-Standard is a designer, developer, and equipment supplier of extrusion and converting technology for flexible packaging applications. It offers technology in blown film, cast film, extrusion coating, liquid coating, reprocessing and compounding, winding/unwinding, and pelletizing, says Danis J. Roy, Davis-Standard’s vice president-sales films and flexible packaging. Headquartered in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, it has more than 1,400 employees worldwide and a network of independent sales representatives and suppliers in nearly every country. “We are committed to engineering systems that are reliable, environmentally friendly, and offer a high return on investment,” Roy says. The company has manufacturing and technical facilities in the United States, Canada, China, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Preco, Inc.: Preco specializes in industrial lasers and conventional die cutting. It is a designer and manufacturer of precision automated processing systems for high-speed and high-accuracy cutting, perforating, welding, and other specialized industrial processing applications. “With our proprietary die cutting and laser-based manufacturing capabilities, we’ve also become one of the largest contract manufacturing service providers in North America,” says Kurt Hatella, executive vice president laser equipment division at Preco, which has its main offices in Kansas and Wisconsin. It has more than 280 workers worldwide, Hatella says.
Siegwerk USA Inc.: Siegwerk is a privately owned, international supplier of printing inks and coatings for the packaging and publication industries. It employs approximately 5,500 people in more than 30 countries. It was founded 180 years ago. “By 2025, Siegwerk will become a circular and digital solutions provider to the global packaging industry,” the company says.
20 Years: 2001
Bobst North America Inc.: Bobst, which is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a supplier of substrate processing, printing, and converting equipment and services for the label, flexible packaging, folding carton, and corrugated board industries. It was founded in 1890 and has a presence in more than 50 countries, runs 19 production facilities in 11 countries, and employs more than 5,600 people worldwide. “There are many drivers that influence the future of flexible packaging (plastic, paper, and foil), and these will have a direct impact on the evolution over the coming years,” the company says.
Other companies that joined FPA in 2001:
- Hosokawa Alpine American, Inc.
- ISOFlex Packaging
25 Years: 1996
Plastic Suppliers, Inc.: EarthFirst® Films by PSI (Plastic Suppliers, Inc.) is a manufacturer of biopolymer EarthFirst® thin-gauge, compostable, sealant, barrier sealant, and shrink decoration films. It was founded in 1949 in Blackwood, New Jersey, and moved its corporate headquarters to Columbus, Ohio, in 1988. The privately held company has products used within the food, beverage, quick-serve restaurants, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) and industrial market segments. (For more on PSI, go to https://flexpackvoice.com/stories/milestones-earthfirst-films-by-psi/ )
Another company that joined FPA in 1996:
- Sealed Air Corporation
30 Years: 1991
Mica Corporation: A member of FPA for 30 years, Mica is a family-run company. Founded in 1971, it specializes in water-based coatings and extrusion primers. Headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut (near New Haven), it has sales offices in 13 countries and warehouses in 11 locations worldwide. In 2020, the company launched its first commercially compostable adhesion promoter—MICA MC-634, a water-based emulsion that passes the ASTM D6400 standard for compostability. The product has seen success in the compostable hot-cup market, the company says. (For more on Mica, go to https://flexpackvoice.com/stories/fpa-member-milestones/ )
Another company that joined FPA in 1991:
- AMGRAPH Packaging, Inc.
Thomas A. Barstow is senior editor with FlexPack VOICE®.