ePac LLC, a joint partnership between Arion Partners LLC and Emerald Packaging Inc., will begin operations in Madison, WI, in April 2016. The new company is dedicated to the growing short-run, multiple SKU, quick-turn flexible packaging market.
ePac, is the first “Greenfield” flexible packaging company in North America based exclusively on a digital technology platform. Building on Emerald Packaging Inc.’s success as the first flexible packaging HP Indigo 20000 beta in the US, this new partnership marks a significant commitment to the growth of digital printing. With the HP Indigo 20000 as the print platform, complementary front-end workflow and downstream finishing systems have been engineered to leverage the unique value provided by digital technology.
ePac digital solutions will provide consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs) the ability to rapidly produce test market packaging, quickly roll out marketing promotions, and eliminate excess inventory through print-on-demand and design-to-print services.
Arion Partners’ Jack Knott, Virag Patel, and Carl Joachim will serve as the management team for ePac. Knott has an extensive background in creating and managing flexible packaging companies, most recently with Exopack Holdings Corp. and Coveris Holdings. Patel has significant experience in global market development for Exopack and Coveris, while Joachim has successfully developed production digital printing businesses for Xerox, Océ and Ricoh.
“SKU proliferation, declining run lengths, and the growing desire among CPGs to offer market-specific packaging are key drivers behind ePac’s go-to-market strategy,” says Jack Knott, Arion Partners Co-CEO. “With our total operation engineered around a digital platform, ePac will offer a new, cost effective alternative for customers.”
ePac is the evolution of initial entry into digital printing by Emerald Packaging through a joint venture with OEC Graphics. According to Kevin Kelly, CEO of Emerald Packaging: “We’ve proven there is a market for digital flexible packaging. To capitalize on that success it makes sense to form an entity entirely dedicated to this business model as opposed to one attached to an analog printer. With the significant expertise brought by the Arion team, we’re confident that our growth in digital will rapidly accelerate.”
