Switzerland-based ILAPAK expanded its U.S. manufacturing with the development of a new state-of-the-art production facility in Lowell, Ark., to serve its North American customer base. This investment creates production capacity to meet growing U.S. customer demand, and allows the international group to extend the range of solutions it manufactures in the United States, including the launch of a range of U.S.-made Ilapak Carrera solutions.

“We’ve always tailored our solutions to reflect our customers’ specific needs in different parts of the world. We are now taking this approach to the next level with a wider range of U.S.-made Ilapak solutions manufactured in a brand new world-class facility. We’re proud to be investing and extending our manufacturing production further in the USA, and above all, that we will be able to serve our U.S. customers better than ever before,” says Guy Levy, vice president, commercial. “The ‘made in the USA’ label may be less common in some areas of manufacturing, but our customers care about where their equipment is built. Companies want to be confident in build quality and technical backup, and Ilapak’s promise to our customers through our ongoing 360° commitment program of investment in the U.S. is that whether they buy a complete Delta Systems turnkey line or an individual Carrera flowrapper from Ilapak, it will have been built by skilled personnel in our new Arkansas factory. Our customers know they will get the quality and service support they expect with a U.S.-built solution from one of the world’s leading names in the packaging industry.”

The 80,000-square-foot facility is centrally located in close proximity to the local airport and major transportation corridor. The temperature-controlled manufacturing area ensures that equipment is built and tested in an environment that more closely imitates the environment it will finally operate in, particularly important for some higher speed complete line solutions. The facility will also house an R&D team focused on engineering solutions for the North American market, as well as a quick-response service center and a customer innovation and demonstration area. An additional 20,000-square-foot manufacturing capacity is also planned to allow for expansion in line with the group’s growth strategy for the North American market.

The Arkansas facility will be inaugurated in January 2016, with the launch of a new range of U.S.-made Carrera flowrappers, and increased production for the Delta Systems’ range of full line solutions.