Anchor Packaging Celebrates 50 Years of Business

At a time when the U.S. thermoforming industry is undergoing dramatic consolidation and isolated bankruptcies, Anchor Packaging remains as a successful, privately-held entity with a strong balance sheet. The company began operations in November 8, 1963, as a converter of plastic film and expanded operations in 1978 to include thermoforming, sheet extrusion, and blown film. 

 

In 1985, a new manufacturing facility was constructed in Paragould, Arkansas, to accommodate the thriving thermoforming business. As business continued to grow at a rapid pace, the facility was expanded several times until it reached its current capacity of 310,000 sq. ft. To accommodate its film business, Anchor established a 160,000 sq. ft. production facility in Marmaduke, Arkansas, in 1990. 

 

Anchor has made several strategic acquisitions over the years including Innovative Plastics, the MicroLite division of Amoco, the BonFaire division of Placon Corporation,  Mount Vernon Plastics (MVP) in Mt Vernon, Kentucky, in 2012, and in February this year, a Jonesboro, Arkansas, manufacturing and warehousing facility from Quad Graphics. The Borden Chemical's film operation acquisition in Argentina has allowed Anchor to broaden its exposure in South America, as well as serving Europe from that location. Anchor also has a 45-acre distribution center in Paragould, Arkansas, which consolidates products to provide a single centralized ship point. In total, Anchor facilities are over 2 million square feet, which not only provides logistical efficiency, but also prevents supply chain interruptions by diversifying manufacturing across six separate locations.

 

Robert R. Hermann Jr., chairman and CEO of Hermann Companies, Anchor’s parent, shares that “it has been a great 50 years for the company and for my family, as we have seen the seeds planted in 1963 grow into a thriving company with strong roots in extrusion, thermoforming, injection molding, blown film, printing, and trim-in-place technologies. We look ahead to another 50 years, as we continue to expand in existing markets and pursue opportunities to reach new markets.”

 

The President of Anchor, Jeff Wolff, states “our mission has been, and remains, to continually delight our customers. This company is well-positioned for a virtually-unlimited horizon of new product possibilities, and we expect the next 50 years to continue our legacy of meeting customer requirements with innovation and packaging solutions that make them successful.”

 

Anchor Packaging’s products include upscale take-out packaging used for merchandising prepared ready-to-heat meals in most supermarkets chains, and take-out meals in many major chain restaurants and other foodservice operations. The Roaster Series, Incredi-Bowls, Culinary Classics, Culinary Basics, MicroRaves, MicroRounds, Gourmet Classics, Microlite, BonFaire, Crystal Clear, Crystal Classics, and AnchorFoil are among Anchor’s unique product lines that also include foil and film. Custom package design and manufacture is provided for many large food companies in the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, and Australia.