ANSONIA, CT, May 18, 2017 – Ansonia-based Better Packages, Inc. will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Thursday, May 25. The celebration will be held at its corporate headquarters, 4 Hershey Drive, Ansonia. The company develops, manufactures and markets the Better Pack® brand of water-activated tape dispensers.
The festivities will begin at 11 a.m. and continue to 3 p.m. Tours of the factory are scheduled between 11 am. and 12 p.m. Scheduled speakers include Mayor Mark Lauretti of Shelton, David Cassetti of Ansonia and Mayor Anita Dugatto of Derby.
Better Packages was founded in 1917, by two brothers, Alfred and Theodore Kruger. Their company developed and marketed equipment to make efficient use of a five-year old invention by Thomas Edison - water-activated tape. Prior to Edison’s invention, cartons were closed primarily with twine.
The company was originally founded in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Shelton in 1924. The idea was to be closer to markets in the bustling Bridgeport-to- Waterbury manufacturing corridor. It moved to its present Ansonia location 2014 where it has a 35,000-square foot facility, employing 46 people, full and part-time.
For 100 years, Better Packages has been setting industry standards with its durable equipment, which measures, cuts and wets the tape. The advent of e-commerce sales, which have increased the number of cartons being shipped throughout the world, has been a tremendous catalyst for the company’s recent success. Better Package’s client list has grown significantly to include the world’s most prominent companies who are purchasing dispensers to ensure that their shipping cartons are sealed securely, efficiently and professionally.
“Better Packages’ strong market position has always been based on the soundness of its designs, equipment functionality, and the company’s passion to quality. The average age of our electric water-activated tape models in use today is over 16 years old; manuals average over 20 years in service,” says Phil White, Better Packages’ Chief Executive Officer.
The reach of this Ansonia-based company is worldwide. There are over 500,000 Better Packages’ dispensers in service in over 70 countries. Better Packages water-activated tape dispenser worldwide market share exceeds 75 percent. Since 2015, the company has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Intertape Polymer Group (IPG). IPG is a packaging products and systems company and is the largest manufacturer of water-activated tape. IPG’s Central® brand of water-activated tape will also be celebrating their 100-year anniversary in 2017.
“Today, Better Packages, together with IPG’s Central® brand of water-activated tape, has come full-circle with products and systems that provide security, tamper evidence, strength and efficiency – all of which are more in demand today than ever.”
About Better Packages
Better Packages, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Intertape Polymer Group (IPG), is the leading manufacturer of tabletop water-activated tape (WAT) dispensers used in carton sealing. In 2017, both Better Packages, Inc. and IPG’s Central® brand of water-activated tape will be celebrating their 100-year anniversary. Better Packages’ product line includes auto-dispensing electric machines used in high volume fulfillment centers, as well as manual dispensers. Central brand water-activated tape is offered in a wide range of paper-only and reinforced gummed paper tape styles, roll lengths and widths. In the U.S., Better Packages sells through multiple channels that include industrial and packaging distributors and catalog wholesalers, as well as direct to end-user customers. Its worldwide distribution network consists of over 300 authorized distributors selling into over 70 countries. For more information, see: www.betterpackages.com and www.itape.com.
Media contact
Andrea Obston aobston@aomc.com
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