The idea behind his company came to Louis DeJesus 35 years ago while working as a salesman for Smurfit Stone.
"I quickly learned that packaging should be more than just a shipping vessel. I felt strongly that companies needed to add color and unique structural design in their packaging to promote the product and brand," DeJesus said. "In many cases, I had to push the manufacturing boundaries inherent in the traditional processes to address this need."
The concept?
"...[T]o print on the inside and outside of boxes and sometimes flood coat one of the sides and reverse out a logo with 100 ink coverage," he continued. "But there was one problem: This pushed the limitations of a traditional box plant. For customer samples, I improvised by printing my designs on a plotter and adhered them to the outside of boxes using Elmer’s Glue. It was the only way to show off the concepts. It definitely wasn’t perfect. The paper bubbled, but it was new and a different way to present designs."
Despite this, DeJesus said his customers appreciated his approach and his sales grew substantially.
"Years later, I set out to build a company focused on higher-end customized packaging controlled by the customer. It took some time before technology caught up with my vision, but when it did, CompanyBox was created," said DeJesus, who serves as CEO.
"We now offer one-off production samples printed 4-color on the inside and outside with many additional options," he added. "We strive to democratize packaging. We no longer have to push the manufacturing boundaries since we can leverage all the new digital printing and cutting equipment available. We just needed a platform that blended design tech and product. The CompanyBox Builder became that platform."
CompanyBox prides itself on a customer-centric focus.
"We have removed the salesperson’s control of the narrative to tell us what’s possible. No longer do you need to face large minimums to get 4-color printed corrugated packaging," DeJesus said. "You don’t have to wait months and spend thousands on printing and cutting dies that you may use just once. You can change your graphics to suit your branding needs. Bottom line: the customer is now in control."
CompanyBox specializes in several markets, but e-commerce and subscription markets are the main drivers.
"However, our customers vary across all industries and functions who take advantage of market testing, our quick turn around and high print quality," said DeJesus, whose company services brands including Ivy Park, Pura Vida, and Wells Fargo.
These companies also partner with those in the food and beverage markets – i.e. Molson, Coors, and American Vintners – because, DeJesus said, "our [HP PageWide] C500 is making eco-friendly strides with water-based ink. This includes our new line of Secure Pizza Boxes."
In the sign & display market, CompanyBox tailors to companies such as
Polaroid and Lowes, that need in-store experiences with POP displays, according to DeJesus.
"A new market for us is in the education sector, especially with COVID-19," he said. "We are servicing colleges and universities with education solutions like graduation mailers and admissions boxes.
"On the medical side, CompanyBox is providing test kits with an integrated returnable design," he added.
CompanyBox is a digital corrugated printer utilizing HP Scitex HDR and HP C500 PageWide Inkjet Presses. It also prints using HP Scitex 15500 and 17000 corrugated presses.
CompanyBox is the first company in the world to operate two HP C500 presses in the same facility, according to HP. Installation of the new press begins August 2021 in Charlotte, NC at CompanyBox’s all-digital production facility.
In making the recent multi-million-dollar investment in a second C500, "We wanted to answer this question: 'How do we best serve our customers with lower cost, faster lead times and the highest print quality possible?'" DeJesus said. "Our customers are growing, and CompanyBox is also at a major growth stage. Then COVID-19 kicked everything in high gear. So, we asked ourselves a second question: 'How do we increase our capacity?' The HP C500 delivered the answer to everything."
CompanyBox partners with HP because of its commitment to sustainable ink innovation, DeJesus said.
"All of our ink is supplied by HP and all our printing equipment is manufactured by HP," he added "This gives us a very consistent output on all orders and gives us continuity of supplies. It’s also important for us to keep focusing on environmentally safe printing techniques and HP’s water-based ink matches those company values. Its water-based ink has earned ECOLOGO certification which resonates with our food, beverage and beauty companies."
According to DeJesus, digital printing is limitless.
"We can offer speed to market, low minimum quantities, and the power to pivot quickly. Pivoting is important, especially today. It keeps brands relevant" he said. "One of the biggest differentiators is the full transparency our digital facility gives us. The CompanyBox customer success team, design team and production crew are all in-house. That means we can actually help you with an idea and watch it go from conception to finished product. Most of our competitors are outsourcing to third parties, thus losing control of the finished product."
