Italy’s Ilapak is about to open Made-in-the-USA Manufacturing Facility. the international flexible packaging equipment manufacturer, is expanding its US manufacturing with the development of a new, state-of-the-art production facility in North West Arkansas to serve its North American customer base. This investment creates production capacity to meet growing US customer demand and allows the international group to extend the range of solutions it manufactures in the USA, with the launch of a range of US made Ilapak Carrera solutions to compliment the range of Delta Systems complete line solutions that are already manufactured in the USA.
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 US 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 US customers better than ever before, says Guy Levy, Vice President, Commercial, with ILAPAK.
He continues: 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 back-up and Ilapaks promise to our customers, through our ongoing 360° commitment programme of investment in the US, 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 US built solution from one of the Worlds leading names in the packaging industry.
The 80,000 sq ft facility is centrally located in Lowell, North West Arkansas, in close proximity to the local airport and major transportation corridor for the area. The temperature-controlled manufacturing area will enable the ILAPAK manufacturing team to test in conditions closer to a customers own factory conditions, ensuring 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 centre and a customer innovation and demonstration area. A further 20,000 sq ft of additional manufacturing capacity is also planned to allow for expansion in line with the groups growth strategy for the North American market.
The Arkansas facility will be inaugurated in January 2016, with the launch of a new range of US made Carrera flowrappers, and increased production for the Delta Systems range of full line solutions.
ILAPAK has been present in North America since the mid 1980s, when it established a North American subsidiary to support its expanding business. More recently in 2007, ILAPAK acquired Delta Systems of Rogers, Arkansas, boosting the groups flowrapper integration capabilities in the bakery industry, where Delta Systems is known for its integrated handling, feeding and wrapping systems.