Printpack is an American flexible and rigid packaging company specializing in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Printpack has multiple plants in the United States and Mexico. Printpack services many notable companies, including multiple Fortune 500 companies, and their products are shipped worldwide.

Printpack
Company typePrivate
IndustryPackaging
Founded1956
FounderJ. Erskine Love
Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
,
U.S.
Key people
Jimmy Love, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board
Number of employees
3,900[1]
Websitewww.printpack.com

History

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Founding and early years

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Printpack's first bag machine

Printpack Inc. was founded in Atlanta by J. Erskine Love Jr.,[2] an alumnus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, in 1956 as a printing company whose original product was cellophane bags.[3] By 1960 Printpack had begun creating in-house graphic designs and branching out of the Southeast to making sales in the Midwest. In 1963 Printpack moved to a new 30,000 square-foot location which would remain the company's headquarters for decades. When the company celebrated its first decade Printpack was servicing over 50 clients including Frito-Lay.

Expansion and acquisition

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In 1969, Printpack built their first manufacturing plant outside of Atlanta in Grand Prairie, Texas. Along, with the expansion Printpack also acquired multiple packaging companies such as Southeastern Packaging Inc. and Sigmadyne Corporation. In 1970 the company's three year old R&D department had a breakthrough creating extrusion coating (laminating) for potato chip bags.

In 1978, Printpack made another landmark in the flexible packaging industry when they became the first manufacturer of all-plastic labels for PET plastic bottles. At this time Printpack was the largest independent flexible packaging company in the U.S. and also the nation's largest cellophane converter. By 1985 Printpack was operating plants in Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Illinois, and California with revenues over $100 million.

Erskine Love's passing and succession

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On February 21, 1987, J. Erskine Love passed away suddenly. The company was left without its founder and CEO however, Erskine's wife Gay Love quickly assumed the role of chairman of the Board while their son Dennis was named CEO. In May, 1993, Printpack which had recently expanded to Ireland, acquired Flexpack U.K. Ltd. and rebranded it as Printpack Europe Ltd. in Bury, England. A year later the company acquired another English packaging company, but it was later sold. By 1994, the company had reached revenues of over $500 million.

James River purchase

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Printpack made its biggest acquisition in August 1996, when they acquired the flexible packaging department of the James River Corporation. For a deal valued around $365 million,[4] Printpack gained four lamination plants, five film and converting plants, and a rigid plastic container plant. Along with all the plants and equipment, this acquisition also came with the accounts of Georgia-Pacific and Kraft Foods. The post-acquisition integration had issues including one strike and some consolidation, but in June 1998, Printpack posted revenues of $850 million and was stable again. In 2002, Printpack recorded revenue of $1.1 billion setting a new company record.

2000–Current day

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Printpack has continued expanding both internally and via acquisitions. Since 2002, the company divested its European operations and now operates only in the United States and Mexico. In 2007, Printpack moved to a new corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Printpack opened its first plant in Asia in 2009 when they opened a facility in Suzhou, China. In 2010, Printpack entered a new market when it acquired a medical packaging facility in Marshall, North Carolina.[5] Dennis Love stepped down as CEO in 2013 and has been replaced by his brother Jimmy Love, who was recently named one of Atlanta's most admired CEOs.[6] In the past several years, Printpack has won several Flexible Packaging Association achievement awards

FPA Awards

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Year Award Category Award Level
2017 Printing and Shelf Impact Gold
Extending the use of Flexible Packaging-Sustainability Silver
Extending the Use of Flexible Packaging Silver
Technical Innovation Silver
Printing and Shelf Impact Silver
2016 Technical Innovation Silver
2015 Packaging Excellence Gold
2014 Printing Achievement Gold
Sustainability and Environmental Achievement Silver
Printing Achievement Silver
Printing Achievement Silver
2013 Packaging Excellence Silver
2012 Printing Achievement Gold
Packaging Excellence Silver
Packaging Excellence Silver
  • Table represents awards from 2012 onward

Expansions and Acquisitions

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Time Period Location Expansion/Acquisition
1955–1960 Sandy Springs Original Office
Atlanta, Plymouth Ave Expansion
1960–1965 Atlanta, Wendell Drive Expansion
1965–1970 Grand Prairie, Texas Expansion
1975–1980 Elgin, Illinois Acquisition
Fredericksburg, Virginia Expansion
1985–1990 Villa Rica, Georgia Expansion
Rhinelander, Wisconsin Acquisition
Hendersonville, North Carolina Acquisition
1990–1995 Prescott Valley, Arizona Expansion
Bury, England Acquisition
Saffron Walden, England Acquisition
Grand Prairie, Texas II Acquisition
1995–2000 Greensburg, Indiana Acquisition
New Castle, Delaware Acquisition
Orange, Texas Acquisition
Jackson, Tennessee Acquisition
Shreveport, Louisiana Acquisition
St. Louis, Missouri Acquisition
Williamsburg, Virginia Acquisition
Querétaro, Mexico Expansion
2000–2005 Bloomington, Indiana Acquisition
Villa Rica, Georgia II Expansion
Newport News, Virginia Expansion
Newport News, Virginia II Expansion
2005–2010 Villa Rica, Georgia III Expansion
Guadalajara, Mexico Acquisition
Suzhou, China Expansion
Marshall, North Carolina Acquisition
Bloomington, Indiana II Expansion

References

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  1. ^ "Printpack's Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employees, Funding, Acquisitions & News - Owler Company Profile".
  2. ^ "Profile: (J. Erskine) Love family". forbes.com. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  3. ^ "History of Printpack, Inc. – FundingUniverse". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  4. ^ "COMPANY NEWS;JAMES RIVER TO SELL PACKAGING UNIT FOR $365 MILLION". The New York Times. 11 April 1996. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  5. ^ "Printpack Inc. Acquires North Carolina Location of Amcor/Alcan Medical Flexibles". Package Design. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  6. ^ "Atlanta Business Chronicle names 2017 Most Admired CEO honorees". Atlanta Business Chronicle. 2017-07-24. Retrieved 2017-11-04.

Further reading

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  • Ferguson, Cady Bissell, Ferguson, Scott, Lasting Impressions Atlanta, GA: Printpack Inc., 2012. Print.
  • Ford, Tom, Printpack Buys Packaging Unit for $365 Million, Plastics News, April 15, 1996, p. 1.
  • Grillo, Jerry, "That's a Wrap: Printpack Keeps Brand Products Looking Good," Georgia Trend, May 1, 2001, p. 56.
  • Larkin, Patrick, "Oscar Gets an Assist for Saving Plant," Cincinnati Post, November 22, 1994, p. D5.
  • Lauzon, Michael, "Amcor Sells Thin-Wall Unit to Printpack," Plastics News, September 15, 2003, p. 1.
  • Neuberger, Christine, "Virginia Label Maker Is on a Roll," Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 29, 1992, p. E1.
  • Pidgeon, Ron, "Printpack Plans Ahead," Packaging Magazine, February 8, 2001, p. 24.
  • Smith, Faye McDonald, "Printpack's Erskine Love: Making Service the Standard," Business Atlanta, October, 1985, p. 66.
  • Smith, Sarah S., "Printpack Battles Setbacks," Plastics News, Mar
  • "Printpack Inc. | Packaging World". packworld.com. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  • "Printpack Inc.'s plan for Newport News growth to expand". Daily Press. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  • "Printpack Inc. is Packaging Better Ideas in Wisconsin". inwisconsin.com. Retrieved 2017-11-08.