Packrite (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
Heiber + Schröder WP 1400 Master+ and a Kohmann 1350. However, Packrite does not stop with just the packag- ing equipment itself. If you ask anyone in the packaging industry (or Walter White from Breaking Bad), they will tell you running packaging equipment is a very “humid” business. But a humidity problem is no match for Pack- rite. “One of the improvements we made several years ago was installing a plantwide humidification system to maintain approximately 50 percent relative humidity. This significantly reduced cracking and helped maintain proper moisture levels in the board,” adds Drummond about the enhancements. Packrite even goes as far as to consider the little things, like brand new pallets. Why is that? “First of all, they’re food safe. Second thing is that new pallets don’t break and they don’t tear up our conveyors,” says Drummond. “We have significant investment in blue conveyor systems and we don’t worry about old pallets damaging or slowing down our lines with nails hanging out. We believe even the smallest of decisions like these are details that set us apart from our competitors.” These little changes over the years add up and give Packrite the ability to do something that others cannot: de- velop new forms of packaging. “One of the new products
Part of the company’s recent “phenomenal undertak- ing” involved hiring a full-time Safety Manager, giving Packrite a dedicated leader focused on two critical pri-
orities: protecting employees and maintaining the highest quality stan- dards for food and pharmaceutical packaging. “First and foremost are our peo- ple,” says Drummond. “We held a contest to create a safety slogan and what our people came up with
Michael Drummond
was ‘Be safety-minded, not safety-blinded,’ which was per- fect. Our people see the banner every day, which is their regular reminder to be more conscious of their surround- ings and other employees.” World-Class Machinery Packrite’s business is comprised of five major market sectors. Pharmaceutical and cosmetics; food and drink; software and entertainment; auto parts; and virtually any other product in between. The company provides a full range of services for Consumer Product Goods (CPGs), distributor organizations, fulfillment houses and brokers.
Drummond insists that his people are the most import- ant part of the business. According to him, “A hammer is only as good as the person using it. We ensure that our people are trained on the latest and greatest machinery and they continue to exceed our expectations every day.” So, what equipment is Packrite using? The company primarily uses machinery from Bobst, a Swiss company that is world renowned for creating high quality packaging machinery. At the core of it all, Packrite uses a Bobst 64-inch by 87-inch Asitrade MF324 Master- flute. “After 18 years, it is still one of the highest performing Asitrades in the world,” says Drummond. “There’s not any faster or better one than this one is today because this was one of the first.” Complimenting and supporting the star of Packrite’s machinery show is an Expertflute 64-inch by 67-inch As- itrade Laminator; a Mastercut 2.1 Diecutter; an Expertcut 145 Diecutter; a Bobst Expertfold 230; a Bobst Masterfold 170; a Bobst Masterfold 130; and two window patchers, a The Bobst Asitrade is central to Packrite’s operations and one of the highest performing Asitrades in the world.
driven by our customer needs that we’re ‘playing around’ with is forming equipment,” says Drummond. “People have been trying to eliminate plastics for years, so to help with this initiative we’ve created a paper tray to replace plastic ones. We just installed equipment to produce these paper trays, which complements our existing blister cards nicely and also, will be the exact and eco-friendly replacement for plastic ones. We’re very excited about this opportu- nity.” Other facility upgrades include an HR training room, a new conference room, new restrooms, a 65,000-square- foot warehouse and new offices to support the company’s long-term growth plans. “We thought it would be good to have all our manufacturing on the first floor together and already had a need for more office space. While we were doing upgrades, it only made sense to holistically build out the rest of our office space for all the growth we are plan- ning,” notes Drummond. Packrite uses the Signode GCU Corrugated Strapping Ma- chine to compress and strap loads of corrugated.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
20 September 7, 2026
www.boardconvertingnews.com
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker