Somic Packaging hosts Minnesota open house
Somic Packaging welcomed more than 120 guests from around the world when it held an open house at its new North American corporate headquarters in suburban Minneapolis on September 25. The crowd was treated to speeches from local and corporate officials, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the facility with machine demonstrations.
One of the machines was the new 434 SuperFlex. Guests were provided with an early preview of Somic’s end-of-line packaging machine before it was formally introduced days later at Pack Expo Las Vegas (Figure 1).
Somic Packaging CEO Peter Fox set the tone for the program by thanking all involved as part of his initial remarks. He shared that when first introduced to the company 11 years ago, he had never heard of Somic. After a trip to Germany and by the time he opened the North American subsidiary in Chicago, he understood the company’s commitment.
“The passion, pride and craftsmanship I saw was tangible; you could feel it. I discovered the Somic DNA,” he explained. “It begins with a fundamental pursuit of perfection. There is nothing manufactured in the world that is 100% perfect, but it is the pursuit of perfection that is at the core of our Somic DNA.”
Fox introduced Patrick Bonetsmuller, chairman of Somic Verpackungsmaschinen, who talked about the spacious new headquarters with all of its natural lighting and said it was a grand day for a celebration. He was followed by remarks from James Schollett, president of the German American Chamber of Commerce Minnesota chapter, and Inver Grove Heights Mayor Brenda Dietrich.
Dr. Gerhard Huber, CEO of Somic Group, spoke about the company’s commitment to operations in the United States and investment in the future. Chief Operating Officer Tim Haase addressed the customers in the room while providing more information about future plans. Fox then returned to the podium with final remarks.
“We do this so we can be the leader in providing our customers with the best and most efficient way to automate their packaging operations,” said Fox. “This makes them more competitive and efficient in the marketplace, and when they succeed, we succeed. This is why, at Somic, we proudly say we are engineered to perform. And now we are made in the USA.”
With that, visitors began touring the 48,000 sq-ft building, which opened in October 2024 and is located 10 minutes from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. In addition to the 434 SuperFlex, they saw demonstrations of various machines including the 434 with CORAS collating and grouping technology. As Fox explained in an interview with the local ABC-TV station, all North American machine installations are now being assembled in Minnesota.
With more than 50 years of experience, Somic Packaging offers design support for cartons, retail-ready and wraparound cases. Many international packaging brands use Somic’s mechatronic systems to collate, group and pack open trays, wraparound cases, trays with covers or lid inserts and paperboard cartons.
