Clear Lam Packaging announced plans to open a new 25,000-square-foot co-packing facility and innovation center at its Elk Grove Village, Ill., headquarters and manufacturing operation in spring 2015. Clear Lam invested $2 million in equipment and technology to launch the new operation, which will employ 23 individuals and produce PrimaPak packaging for test markets, regional rollouts, seasonal items and ongoing national distribution. 

The co-packing facility will specialize in dry, free-flowing products using Clear Lam’s revolutionary PrimaPak vertical form-fill-seal system with combination scale weigher. It will start with two state-of-the-art production lines with a combined production capacity of 20 million units per year. Additional lines will be added in the future. Clear Lam also will assist on an as-needed basis with the sourcing and purchasing of raw materials, shipping, freight and logistic services and inventory and warehouse storage of materials and findings.

“The introduction of our new co-packing facility and innovation center is an exciting development for Clear Lam and for the advancement of our PrimaPak system,” says James Sanfilippo, president and CEO. “We understand that many of our customers are looking for opportunities to streamline processes and improve efficiencies in their packing operations without taking on new staff or having to purchase new equipment.”

The PrimaPak system covers everything from the packaging materials to the design, printing, filling, sealing, labeling and packing to get products to market faster. The facility has the flexibility to handle small-batch test product runs and long-term packaging needs.

Clear Lam’s innovation center includes a quality control laboratory, where analytical testing can be performed on packaging products and materials to ensure they meet performance standards and customer specifications. This includes tests for strength and other physical properties, oxygen transmission rates and optical properties of various packaging materials.