To Boldly Go. . .
Hammer Packaging uses a culture of technology evolution and exploration to expand its market reach.
April 2007 by Tom Polischuk
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What do Star Trek and Hammer Packaging have in common? Several things, actually. They both use state-of-the-art technology to seek out and explore new territory; Star Trek is on its fifth TV generation, while Hammer Packaging is led by fourth-generation family owner Jim Hammer, president and CEO, with his son Jason part of the management team and representing the fifth generation; and probably most important—they are both very successful enterprises (pun intended) in their respective worlds.
Hammer Packaging got its start in 1912 as Genesee Valley Litho, a regional supplier of labels to the growing agricultural industry in Western New York. “The company developed its reputation early on for outstanding quality and customer service,” says Lou Iovoli, director of sales and marketing.
Agriculture was the start, and from there, packaging became the primary focus. The company has steadily branched out into other markets beyond food. Today, Hammer services beverage, wine and spirits, household chemicals, horticultural, and health and beauty markets. And its quest for new markets won’t stop there. “As we innovate and adopt new technologies, we continue to look at new markets where we can apply our considerable strengths,” says Iovoli.
Today, Hammer Packaging has more than 400 employees in five manufacturing facilities located in the Rochester, N.Y. area. These facilities encompass 375,000 square feet, with ten presses, a digital prepress department, and several finishing operations.
The company specializes in film and paper labels including cut-and-stack, pressure sensitive, shrink, roll-on/shrink-on (ROSO), and roll-fed. While Iovoli says that converting lightweight wet-strength papers is an area of particular strength, “We aggressively explore how best to convert films, because it offers the widest range of solutions for our customers’ packaging needs.”
In addition to film and paper substrates, Hammer offers aqueous, UV, and EB ink and coating systems, along with in-line laminations for both its web offset and flexo operations.
Warp speed
The company’s growth under the leadership of Jim Hammer has been impressive, to say the least. He took charge of the company when it was a $1 million business and, this year, it is on track to be a $100 million company, says Iovoli.
The company’s operating philosophy is “Listen, Learn, and Lead.” “We take listening to our customers very seriously,” notes Iovoli. “We conduct rigorous customer surveys each year to obtain clear feedback on what we do well and what we need to improve.”
Hammer Packaging got its start in 1912 as Genesee Valley Litho, a regional supplier of labels to the growing agricultural industry in Western New York. “The company developed its reputation early on for outstanding quality and customer service,” says Lou Iovoli, director of sales and marketing.
Agriculture was the start, and from there, packaging became the primary focus. The company has steadily branched out into other markets beyond food. Today, Hammer services beverage, wine and spirits, household chemicals, horticultural, and health and beauty markets. And its quest for new markets won’t stop there. “As we innovate and adopt new technologies, we continue to look at new markets where we can apply our considerable strengths,” says Iovoli.
Today, Hammer Packaging has more than 400 employees in five manufacturing facilities located in the Rochester, N.Y. area. These facilities encompass 375,000 square feet, with ten presses, a digital prepress department, and several finishing operations.
The company specializes in film and paper labels including cut-and-stack, pressure sensitive, shrink, roll-on/shrink-on (ROSO), and roll-fed. While Iovoli says that converting lightweight wet-strength papers is an area of particular strength, “We aggressively explore how best to convert films, because it offers the widest range of solutions for our customers’ packaging needs.”
In addition to film and paper substrates, Hammer offers aqueous, UV, and EB ink and coating systems, along with in-line laminations for both its web offset and flexo operations.
Warp speed
The company’s growth under the leadership of Jim Hammer has been impressive, to say the least. He took charge of the company when it was a $1 million business and, this year, it is on track to be a $100 million company, says Iovoli.
The company’s operating philosophy is “Listen, Learn, and Lead.” “We take listening to our customers very seriously,” notes Iovoli. “We conduct rigorous customer surveys each year to obtain clear feedback on what we do well and what we need to improve.”
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