Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Pregis invests $1 million in blown film testing lab

Pregis LLC invested $1 million in a new 1,000 sq ft testing lab for its Grand Rapids, Michigan, blown film manufacturing facility. Lab personnel will be focused on customer needs driven research and development, as well as quality testing.

Pregis testing lab, Grand Rapids, MI
Pregis testing lab, Grand Rapids, MI

Operating under the company’s Pregis Films business unit, the Grand Rapids facility provides high-quality custom film rollstock to converters for packaging applications that protect a wide variety of products.

“We made the investment in the new lab to create systems and processes that will enable us to exceed our customer’s expectations. Having an onsite facility will better equip us to provide faster solutions and also allow us to accelerate our R&D work,” said Tom Wetsch, chief innovation officer, Pregis. “With customers increasingly looking at customized structures and accelerating the pace of their development, we wanted to make sure we had the right resources in place to support them.”

The facility produces polyethylene film that is converted into a variety of flexible packaging structures for applications such as food (standup pouches, form-fill-seal), medical (breathable bags and pouches), industrial (automotive, hardware, etc.), as well as surface protection. The lab will include analytical testing equipment and physical testing (peel, tensile, impact resistance, tear, hot tack, and coefficient of friction) to support all of those applications.

“Customers are continuing to place more stringent quality demands on suppliers. That includes roll flatness, wind quality and physical performance properties which enables them to optimize speeds in pouch converting or vertical and horizontal filling lines,” Wetsch said. “Our new lab capability will help them meet many of those objectives.

Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
Take me there
Conveying Innovations Report
Pharmaceutical Innovations Report
Discover the latest breakthrough packaging technologies shaping the pharmaceutical sector. This report dives into cutting-edge innovations, from smart containers that enhance patient safety to eco-friendly materials poised to transform the industry’s sustainability practices. All from PACK EXPO. Learn how forward-thinking strategies are driving efficiency and redefining what’s possible in pharma packaging.
Learn More
Pharmaceutical Innovations Report