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Harpak-ULMA is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Roach to Chairman of the Board. Kevin, who has served as CEO since 2018, brings a wealth of experience and a forward-thinking vision to his new additional role, ensuring a seamless transition following the retirement of industry-icon Charlie Harlfinger. Kevin joined Harpak-ULMA to lead the company into the future of smart manufacturing. Under his leadership as CEO, Harpak-ULMA has seen significant growth and technological advancements, solidifying its position as a leader in the packaging industry.
Mr. Roach’s career spans several decades. He founded SensorPulse and Interactive Process Controls in the 90’s, as well as registering multiple associated patents. Over the last two decades he held senior leadership roles at prominent companies such as GE, Rockwell Automation, Activant Solutions, Epicor Software, and Intelligrated (a Honeywell company). His automation, digital transformation, and strategic growth expertise have propelled Harpak-ULMA through significant transformation and expansion. As CEO, he spearheaded a multi-year, multi-phase technology strategy embracing Industry 4.0 technologies that enhanced Harpak-ULMA’s product offerings with emerging concepts such as Augmented Reality work instructions and positioned Harpak-ULMA as a recognized packaging industry thought leader.
Mr. Roach’s promotion to Chairman of the Board is a natural progression, building on the solid foundation laid by Charlie Harlfinger. As Chairman, Kevin will continue to drive Harpak-ULMA’s strategic vision, focusing on innovation, customer satisfaction, and sustainable growth. His leadership will ensure that the company’s core values of integrity, excellence, and innovation remain at the forefront of all endeavors.
Linda Harlfinger, Harpak-ULMA COO commented, “The journey which began with TW Kutter has come full circle—capping an impressive 40-year history with our family. He has demonstrated unwavering dedication, and his extensive industry background coupled with technological savvy makes him uniquely qualified to accelerate Harpak-ULMA’s growth. His passion, commitment, and visionary leadership have consistently prioritized the best interests of our employees and company. We have great confidence in his ability to drive innovation and maintain our leadership in the industry.”
“I am deeply honored to assume the role of Chairman of the Board at Harpak-ULMA,” said Mr. Roach. “Charlie Harlfinger’s legacy of innovation and excellence has set a high standard, and I am committed to continuing this legacy. I look forward to working with our talented team to drive further growth and technological advancements and ensuring that Harpak-ULMA remains a leader in the packaging industry.”
Charlie Harlfinger, Harpak-ULMA Packaging’s Chairman of the Board, Retires
With profound respect and gratitude, Harpak-ULMA announces the retirement of Charlie Harlfinger, long-time Chairman of the Board. Charlie’s exceptional leadership and visionary contributions have been pivotal in shaping the packaging industry over the past six decades. Charlie served as President of Harpak-ULMA from 1998 to 2013 and as Chairman of the Board since the company’s founding. His leadership, wisdom, and relationship-building skills have been instrumental in forging enduring partnerships with customers and suppliers alike. Many key customers who are now part of the Harpak-ULMA family were brought in through Charlie’s efforts. His reputation for formulating transformative, customer-centric packaging solutions and high standards for customer collaboration helped to solidify his status as an industry icon.
Charlie’s packaging career began when he founded Kutter Supplies in 1974. The company forged a new approach to packaging machines: rather than utilizing traditional relay controls, it utilized programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) controls—a first pass at digital transformation. After a merger with TW Foods, TW Kutter became a leader in both meat processing and medical packaging equipment, thanks in large part to those digital capabilities that supported product consistency, audit trails, as well as improved security and regulatory compliance. Charlie’s pioneering spirit was evident again when they became the first to adopt on-demand digital printing for packaging, a groundbreaking solution that further solidified the company’s industry reputation for innovation.
In 1994, Charlie’s daughter Linda Harlfinger founded Harpak, which became Harpak-ULMA. Charlie joined as CEO, steering a significant collaboration with G. Mondini to improve the effectiveness of tray-sealed modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). An order of magnitude improvement in MAP Tray-seal results positioned Harpak-ULMA to capitalize on the meat industry’s shift to tray-sealed protein. The company’s dedication to high-quality packaging equipment, reliable performance, and innovative packaging techniques helped Charlie gain the trust of meat processors and retailers nationally. That commitment helped set new packaging quality standards and positioned the company as a leader in the meat/protein packaging sector.
Ms. Harlfinger shared a personal note: “My Dad has been my guide, mentor, and champion. More importantly, he led by example, encouraging an organizational commitment to excellence that made Harpak-ULMA what it is today. There are no words to thank him for all he has done for this company and for me. He set a tremendous example of how to run a business – not only management technique, but from the human perspective. He instilled in me the importance of collaborating with peers, employees, customers, and partners, as well as a solid work ethic, perseverance, and integrity.”
Charlie’s legacy and inspiration will be well-served as the company moves forward under the leadership of CEO Kevin Roach, who joined in 2018. As Kevin assumes the role of Chairman of the Board, his progressive vision for the age of smart manufacturing ensures that the values and principles instilled by Charlie will remain the cornerstone of the company’s culture and success.
Roach commented, “Charlie was my first, most important, and longest-standing mentor. He preached the importance of putting the customer first—and demonstrated that philosophy by focusing our decisions and investments around creating customer value. He challenged us to innovate using technology to benefit our customers. We learned as much from our failures as our successes—and it was that type of environment that helped shape this company’s innovation mindset. Charlie’s invaluable contributions and unwavering commitment helped make Harpak-ULMA a force to be reckoned with. It is with heartfelt appreciation that we wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
