Printing and Packaging
Higher Education Connection - Look at Who's Here
FROM BOOKS TO BAGS, TO BOXES, IT'S THE TOTAL PACKAGE
Printing and packaging is a strong cluster in the Roanoke Region with nearly 3,800 employees at nearly 300 printing and publishing firms and 1,700 people working for 60 packaging firms.
- A manufacturing-friendly region: In 2011, 10.5 percent of the Roanoke Region's workforce was employed in manufacturing, topping both Virginia (6.7 percent) and the U.S. (9.1 percent)
- Area employers draw from a labor force of more than 350,000.
- Products include high-end consumer packaging, coffee-table books and plastic bags.
- Recent $4.5 million 62,000 sq.ft. expansion at Arkay Packaging doubled the size of the plant.
- Abundant utilities: fiber, water, gas, and electricity, with electric rates below the national average.
- Affordable, high-quality assistance available through GENEDGE Alliance's network of field offices.
Companies have access to research and resources available through higher education centers.
Virginia Tech Center for High Performance Manufacturing
- Developed to help manufacturers cut costs, improve operations, and keep up with customer demand.
- Areas of specialization include: flexible automation, manufacturing logistics, production and information systems, rapid prototyping and tooling, and low-cost composite manufacturing.
Advanced Manufacturing and Packaging Technology Program at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College
- Education partner of the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI)
- Focus is on mechatronics -- integration of mechanical, electronic, and software engineering -- to control advanced automation and hybrid systems.
- Amatrol Inc. equipment and instructional modules.
- Arkay Packaging -- Design and printing of packaging for high-end consumer products.
- Capco -- Headquarters. Printing equipment manufacturer.
- Conwed Plastics -- Extruded plastic netting for a range of industries including food and consumer goods.
- Corrugated Container -- Cardboard and corrugated packaging products.
- R.R. Donnelley & Sons -- Book publishing.
- Double Envelope -- Manufactures and distributes custom envelopes.
- InfoSeal -- Manifold business forms, self-mailer documents in various formats.
- MeadWestvaco -- Provides packaging solutions and products to the food and beverage, media and entertainment, personal care, cosmetic, and health industries.
- Packaging Corporation of America -- Single-source supplier of corrugated shipping containers for industrial and commercial use.
- Chocklett Press -- Commercial printing company.
- The Roanoke Times -- Daily newspaper using the Heildelberg Mainstream 80 Press -- the first in the U.S. when it was installed in 2003. Installed at the same times were a shaftless Magnapack packaging system and NP200 gripper conveyer system.
- Source 4 -- Printing, communications, graphics services.
- Trinity Packaging -- Retail lawn and food service bags.
