Pregis earns third place spot in Crain’s Chicago Business ‘most innovative’ list

Pregis LLC, a leading protective packaging materials and automated systems manufacturer, was recently honored by Crain’s Chicago Business (CCB) as one of the most innovative companies of 2019. 

Pregis took the number three spot on the prestigious 20-company list which analyzes patent filings as an indicator of innovation. Pregis Chief Innovation Officer Tom Wetsch, who has driven the technology development which has led to the patents, was present to accept in the award and participate in a panel discussion.

“Our innovation is driven by multiple factors. Most important among them is the desire to create packaging systems that help companies get their products to consumer or to retail without damage, in the most cost-effective way possible. Equally as important is our commitment to minimizing impact on the environment. A significant part of our intellectual property has to do with reducing material usage, and supplying alternatives, such as paper-based protective packaging options,” said Wetsch.

Pregis’ recent patents protect its feature-rich Easypack® Quantum™ paper void fill system, as well as its Versa HC inflatable air cushioning equipment. The Quantum series offers high productivity, ease-of-use, safety, superior ergonomics, paper-loading ease, as well as, flexible design which enables customized work cell options. The AirSpeed® HC Versa patents supports the equipment’s ability to seal around air that has been inserted into the cushion, insuring that the cushions do not fail during use.

“With the continued growth of e-commerce fulfillment, our intellectual property work is focused on meeting the requirements for demanding operations. We want our equipment to be easy-to-use, ergonomic and safe to operate, as well as offer a high degree of flexibility to meet specific packaging operation objectives,” Wetsch said.

CCB partners with Ocean Tomo, an intellectual property advisory firm, which reviewed the U.S. patents awarded to Chicago-area companies last year. According to CCB, the search focused on companies with at least five patents, it used an algorithm to rate the quality of their patents based on the likelihood that companies will invest to develop, maintain or defend them.