Bennett Packaging (dba “Bennett”), one of the largest independently owned corrugated packaging companies in the U.S., has completed installation of its second high-‐speed, state-‐of the art digital printing press.
The $4 million capital investment was made possible through a Chapter 100 Industrial Development Bond agreement.
“A collaborative effort between Bennett and the City of Lee’s Summit made this business investment possible,” said LSEDC President and CEO Rick McDowell. “By investing in industry leading equipment and technology, Bennett has been well positioned to take advantage of the rapidly growing e-commerce revolution and resulting supply chain growth.”
Bennett manufactures corrugated boxes and store displays and has grown from $19 million in sales in 2004 to $65 million in 2018. In 2014, the City of Lee’s Summit granted the Lee’s Summit-based company $8 million in Chapter 100 Industrial Revenue Bonds – in two increments of $4 million each – for the purchase of two direct-to-‐corrugated printing presses. The Barberan Jetmaster digital presses were the first of their kind to be installed in the U.S.
“Over the past two and a half years, Bennett clients have benefitted from the efficiencies from the digital process, and Bennett has seen an increase in market share,” said Kathy Bennett, Bennett Packaging CEO.
Bennett purchased its first 66-inch Jetmaster in 2015, which operates during three shifts each day at its Lee’s Summit headquarters. In 2018, the company purchased a second 48-inch Jetmaster that has a smaller footprint and allows Bennett to have redundancy in the plant for digital presses.
“Bennett is the only company in North America to have two of these high-speed presses, so if one press goes down we have a backup,” said Robert Sweet, Director of Sales for Bennett. “The other application is that these presses give us flexibility to handle and accommodate a variety of projects and sizes required by the industry.”
Not all of Bennett’s print jobs are suited to digital printing, therefore the company continues to offer lithograph and flexo print services.
