Kalamazoo, Mich. (September 29, 2010) – With six decades of successful business operations in the packaging industry, Fabri-Kal is proud to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Headquartered in Kalamazoo, Mich., Fabri-Kal continues to be driven by a pioneering spirit of innovation and technology leadership.
Family owned and operated since its establishment, Fabri-Kal has a rich legacy to share. Robert P. Kittredge, Founder and Chairman of Fabri-Kal, lovingly known as “Kit”, started the company when he was 27 years old. In the fall of 1950, seven shareholders purchased the plastic segment of the Kalamazoo Paper Box Company. They began their operations in the ground floor of a former A & P grocery store, where among the first products manufactured were package nests and lids for Sears Roebuck cutlery. Over the years, Fabri-Kal has expanded to be a nationally recognized company, with plants in Hazleton, Pa., Greenville, S.C., and Kalamazoo, Mich. Kit Kittredge commented, “Watching this company grow has been one of the major highlights of my career. Two of the better decisions I ever made for this company were to avoid the automotive industry and to expand on a national level. Our first expansion in 1967 into Pennsylvania was a major milestone in the growth of this company.”
Along with 60 years of industry know-how, best-in-class products and first rate service, Fabri-Kal is extremely committed to their community and employees. Through the Fabri-Kal Foundation, the company has granted $4.6 million of higher-education assistance to the children of Fabri-Kal employees. An additional $2.7 million has benefited the communities in which Fabri-Kal employees live and work. Kit commented, “My strong feeling is that education is the cornerstone of America. We currently support 40 college students, who attend universities all across the country. We offer them the freedom to attend whatever school they choose and study whatever they are drawn to.”
When asked his vision for the next 60 years of Fabri-Kal, Kit Kittredge commented, “I have a tremendous enthusiasm for the future of this company, and the reality is that billions of people outside of our country aren’t able to live at the standards we as Americans have come to expect. I think we should look for ways to offer our skills through a global partnership and expansion in the decades to come.”
To celebrate their 60th anniversary, Fabri-Kal is refreshing the company identity with an updated corporate brand, which includes the launch of a new tagline that reads: Experience a Better Package. The new tagline encompasses the company’s mission and vision to be experts and leaders in the packaging industry, to meet customer needs through understanding their businesses and providing the right product to fit their needs. Throughout the months of September and October, Fabri-Kal will host celebrations at each of their locations to honor the 60th anniversary and to share the exciting brand updates.
Today, with more than 800 employees, Fabri-Kal is the eighth largest thermoformer by sales in North America and still family-owned. Fabri-Kal’s steady and profitable growth has been achieved through exceptional service, innovative new products and a determined sales representative network. Fabri-Kal would like to recognize the work of past and present employees, their board, suppliers, representatives and partners; it is their contributions and dedication that have made Fabri-Kal a success.
Source: Fabri-Kal