Flexible Packaging History:

Harry R. Bell and Benjamin Kaplan founded Kapak Industries in 1961. The two began working under an exclusive licensing agreement with 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing) to use the name "Scotchpak". 3M developed Scotchpak (a polyester and extrusion PE film) without a defined application. In 1961 Bell and Kaplan purchased a G.T. Sheldahl poly bag machine and re-engineered the equipment to become the first preformed pouch making machine in the U.S. They proceeded to use 3M's Scotchpak material to develop the "boil-n-bag" frozen cooking concept and began producing pouches for Green Giant, Sara Lee and Stouffers. The Scotchpak material was later bundled with 110-volt heat sealers and marketed to consumers for home storage use.

In 1972, Kapak developed an evidence storage system that provided law enforcement agencies with high barrier material and heat sealers for preserving evidence collected in the field. Later that year, the U.S. Justice Department approved Kapak's evidence storage system in U.S. courts of law. This niche business soon grew to a substantial percentage of the company's product mix and helped fuel Kapak's growth throughout the early 70's.

In 1977, Gary M. Bell acquired controlling interest in Kapak Corporation and quickly developed a strategic plan aimed at diversifying the company's product line and market focus. In 1986 Kapak purchased a Totani machine, the country's first preformed stand up pouch equipment based on Bell's vision that "marketers will fall in love with this format".

By 1990, the company owned five Totanis and two Dusenberry slitters and had quickly established itself as the premier pouch converter in the country. Throughout the 90's, Kapak continued its quest to establish the stand up pouch as a formidable alternative to rigid forms of packaging through continuous improvement and vertical integration.

Kapak Corporation, a complete flexible packaging converter specializing in preformed standup pouches and rollstock for both vertical and horizontal applications. Their expertise includes a wide variety of flexible packaging structures, custom shapes, spout fitments, resealing options, and package design. Their production capabilities include high performance adhesive laminations, rotogravure printing, pouch making, slitting, spout insertion, and in-line die cutting. They specialize in both solid and liquid product applications in a variety of markets, including: food, beverage, coffee, industrial, medical, pet food, health and beauty aids, agricultural, and chemical. In July, 2004 diversified flexible packaging manaufacturer Ampac Packaging acquired majority interest in Kapak.