Printing and packaging firm Smyth Companies has invested $6.5m in new equipment at its printing operation facilities in the Town of Bedford in Bedford County, Virginia, US.
Image: Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. Photo: courtesy of Craig from Richmond, Virginia`, United States.
Smyth Companies is engaged in the production of labels for consumer product goods packaging and serves markets including food, beverage, health & beauty, personal care, household, automotive and craft beer.
The company operates production facilities for roll-fed and sheet-fed. It has operations in Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Smyth also operates a tube labeling facility located in Pleasantville, New Jersey and an equipment division in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The firm has purchased and installed a KBA Litho press and a new Comco roll-fed press to strengthen its business.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said: “Smyth Companies has been a valuable corporate citizen in the Town of Bedford in Bedford County for nearly a century, and we are honored that they continue to reinvest in their Virginia operation.”
Smyth Companies president Scott Fisher said: “We have installed two new presses, a KBA and a Comco, and initiated extensive employment training at Smyth-Bedford with the help of the grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia and Bedford County.
“This cutting-edge technology broadens our capabilities for printing thin film injection-mould labels, and includes a new adhesive coating system for speciality secondary manufacturing.”
Smyth plans to provide retraining of 28 existing employees on the new machinery with funding support from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP).
The firm also received support from the Bedford County Economic Development Authority (EDA) under a defined performance agreement.
Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball said: “Small businesses are the heartbeat of so many of our communities, and we are proud to support Smyth Companies’ expansion.
“Smyth Companies’ significant investment in new equipment and the retraining of nearly a third of its team demonstrates a strong commitment to its existing workforce and the continued longevity of the Bedford operation.”
Smyth maintains two types of production facilities – roll-fed and sheet-fed.