T.H.E.M. Announces Expansion: Full Contract Packaging Capabilities
(Marlton, NJ, July 2013) Technical Help in Engineering and Marketing (T.H.E.M.), a leading provider of stick packaging solutions, recently announced an expansion of its contract packaging capabilities. As one of the first companies to introduce flexible stick packaging to North America, T.H.E.M. has built a strong reputation as a leading provider of contract packaging for powder-based products. The company has helped numerous global brands introduce new products or line extensions in stick packaging, supporting them during evaluation, test market, and initial production scale-up. With recent investments in equipment, personnel and resources, T.H.E.M. is rapidly repositioning itself as a broader, more multi-faceted resource for consumer brands seeking single-serve packaging solutions.
T.H.E.M. has substantially expanded its contract packaging or stick packs, in terms of both capacity and capabilities. The company has erected additional humidity-controlled packaging suites at its FDA-approved, Marlton, NJ based facility. Now with a total of eight packaging suites that accommodate single lane and up to 24-lane high-speed stick pack production, T.H.E.M. is geared for flexibility. The company can meet stick volume requirements from 10,000 units up to much larger runs of 100 million plus packs, in not only powder, but liquid and paste formats as well.
“We’ve seen steadily growing interest by marketers of both liquid food and beverage products in flexible stick packs,” commented Tom Martin, T.H.E.M.’s new VP of business development. Martin, who recently joined the company to support its expanding contract business, brings over 35 years of packaging experience to T.H.E.M. “We also see significant growth potential for direct-to-mouth energy and nutritional applications in North America,” Martin added. The company is working on plans that would virtually double its current liquid stick packaging capacity to accommodate anticipated launch demand.
In addition to flexible sticks, T.H.E.M.’s expanded in-house capabilities now include high speed liquid filling of pouches and packettes, with output rates of 250 products per minute per lane. Pouch and packette production includes three- and four-sided seal configurations for product capacities ranging from 1 to 70ml. “Pouch and packette filling significantly broadens the range of formats we can offer customers,” Martin commented. “In many ways, this was a very natural evolution for T.H.E.M., and aligns perfectly with our core expertise in single-serve packaging.” As part of a turnkey solution, T.H.E.M. also manages raw material intake, secondary packaging operations, and pack out for distribution.
At a recent industry conference, T.H.E.M. announced that the company will be introducing a unique line of rigid pouch and blister packs, further diversifying its range of single-serve offerings. Neil Kozarsky, T.H.E.M.’s CEO and president commented, “Our success has always been defined by our ability to rapidly identify and create access to emerging technologies. We’re opening up options and opportunities for our North American customers, as we expose them to new packaging formats, solutions, and resources that will give their brands a decisive market advantage.”
About T.H.E.M.
Technical Help in Engineering and Marketing (T.H.E.M.) was founded in 1973 as one of the first providers of innovative packaging solutions in North America. The company is best known for commercializing Sanko Stick Packaging in the United States. Working in conjunction with select packaging and equipment manufacturers, T.H.E.M. offers a comprehensive array of packaging solutions designed to take brands from initial concept to full-scale national or global production. T.H.E.M. has a fully operational, on-site R&D center located at its Marlton, New Jersey headquarters, with pilot production, scale-up, and full-scale contract packaging capabilities.
For more information on T.H.E.M.’s flexible packaging machinery and contract manufacturing services, please visit: www.them.net