Colbert Moves Flexo Operation to Wisconsin
- Published: November 09, 2016
LAKE FOREST, IL | Colbert Packaging Corporation, a manufacturer of folding cartons, rigid set-up boxes, and paperboard specialty products, has announced plans to move its flexographic packaging operation and related warehousing services to Kenosha, WI. Colbert has committed to purchasing the property at 9949 58th Pl., part of an industrial business park located just over the Wisconsin border. The new property was the site of a recent event in which Wisconsin officials welcomed company to the area.
Since 1998 the company has been running its flexographic division out of a 45,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility in Lake Forest, IL, a few blocks from the company’s headquarters. To support growth in the flexographic division, a separate 25,000 sq-ft warehouse was established in the nearby town of Libertyville, IL, in 2011. The Kenosha facility not only replaces both of these existing properties, but at 173,000 sq-ft, it is more than double the size of the facilities’ combined square footage. This new facility will also become the largest of company’s three manufacturing plants, a distinction held by the 109,000-sq-ft plant in Elkhart, IN, since 2004.
“We started the flexo division 18 years ago and have since been through two expansions,” says Jim Hamilton, president of Colbert Packaging. “We’re excited to be making this significant investment for expansion that will be the footprint for our projected growth into 2020 and beyond.”
Hamilton says southeastern Wisconsin was a natural choice for its proximity to headquarters, major transportation hubs, and local amenities as well as the state’s favorable business climate. He also noted that a high percentage of the company’s employees live along the Illinois-Wisconsin border and I-94 corridor, and some already call Kenosha County home. “Wisconsin, widely known as home of the Green Bay Packers, cheese curds, and craft beers, is also a great state for the printing and paper-making industries, and the technical expertise of its residents in these fields,” adds Hamilton.
When complete, the facility will house a variety of current assets used in the production of flexographic printed cartons, pressure-sensitive roll labels, and package inserts, with ample room for future product line and technology expansions. The building interior is currently being customized to Colbert’s manufacturing floor and office space specifications, and the relocation is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
