Anthony Locicero, Associate Editor05.18.20
Peachtree Packaging opened in November 1979. Initially run by fewer than 10 employees who worked within a 15,000-square-foot facility, the Lawrenceville, GA-based company boasts more than 250,000 square feet of manufacturing and fulfillment space spread across two facilities.
The company now employs a team of more than 150 designers, engineers, machine operators, account managers and support staff.
Chad Wagner has been at Peachtree Packaging in some capacity from the time he was a teenager.
After earning a degree at the University of Georgia and time in the Air Force, Wagner came back to Peachtree Packaging as a full-time salesperson in the early 1990s.
Wagner, along with Andy Auchmuty, Ed Davis and one other partner, purchased Peachtree Packaging from the original ownership group in 2016.
Davis and Auchmuty were both long-tenured sales reps and shareholders as well
.
“I started sweeping floors and catching boxes off the back of machines when I was in high school,” said Wagner, who now serves as president and CEO. “The experience of learning this business from every single level has been invaluable. My vision, and our vision as a team, is to keep the core values that made Peachtree Packaging successful in the first place. The principles of being a service-first solutions provider and most importantly, operating as a family internally, have allowed us to pass the test of time and stay successful for more than 40 years.”
Wagner said he bought the company to grow it – not to rely solely on past success.
“Our vision is to achieve that growth by being industry leaders and pushing as hard as we can from a technology and equipment standpoint,” he said. “We strive to be the best in the world at what we do. I want our salespeople and staff to know that we have the best equipment in the world to help them achieve their goals. I already know we have the best people.”
Over the past four decades, Peachtree Packaging has worked with Coca-Cola, Disney, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Ray-Ban, AT&T, Hitachi, Yamaha and more.
The products Peachtree Packaging manufactures can be placed into three distinct categories – displays, experiential packaging - graphic packaging solutions, and industrial packaging solutions.
In the case of the first of these categories, the company is able to design and manufacture innovative semi-permanent/corrugated and permanent point-of-purchase (POP) solutions that are intended to generate maximum brand exposure and help to drive client’s revenue.
It is able to offer full-color 3D renderings, pre-production sampling and testing for its displays. Working with corrugated, wood, plastic, wire and metal, Peachtree Packaging’s team also has the expertise to incorporate sound, lights, motion
and video.
Experiential Packaging, meanwhile, covers Peachtree Packaging’s graphic packaging solutions.
Packaging is often the most direct touchpoint for said clients’ customers.
As direct-to-consumer/e-commerce evolves, delivering a complete brand experience that extends beyond the product itself and transcends into the entire package is vital.
“There are so many options for direct-to-consumer transactions these days. That dynamic has allowed the package or box to become much more than just a delivery vessel,” said Pete Galbiati, Peachtree Packaging’s director of marketing. “In today’s e-commerce-centric world, in many cases, the box that a consumer gets in their hand is the only physical interaction they have with a brand. That makes the packaging that much more important to get right.”
With regards to the company’s industrial packaging solutions, whether a client is shipping bowling balls, fragile truck windshields, or liquids and food, Peachtree Packaging’s team of designers and engineers are experienced in developing solutions that fit every single requirement.
Peachtree Packaging’s protective, custom-designed storage boxes and inner pack solutions ensure that products get to their destination safely and without damage. All solutions are tested for strength and durability and are designed to meet UPS and FedEx requirements.
The company’s in-house design lab is comprised of three full-time designers, one full-time graphic artist and three sample cutters covering 16 hours per day.
Equipment includes two 86x120 Esko cutting tables and a large format HP Scitex printer.
Peachtree Packaging’s manufacturing facility is equipped to produce upwards of 360,000,000 square feet a year of some of the most technical packaging in the market.
The warehouse facility has a holding capacity of 6,000 pallet positions individually barcoded and inventoried in the company’s enterprise planning resource system.
The fulfillment center is fully customizable and staffed with full-time employees who have years of experience building, packing, sorting and shipping the most complex retail promotions.
“We consider ourselves ‘brand caretakers,’” Wagner said. “More often than not, we are the final touchpoint before the consumer has a product in hand or sees it in the marketplace. We take that job very seriously and are grateful for the trust our customers put in our team.”
Peachtree Packaging’s top priority in an ink supplier is a company that provides products and technical support that help maximize its equipment.
Poteet Printing Systems has been Peachtree’s ink supplier going on 20 years.
In 2005 Peachtree was still ordering every kit of ink it needed.
The company realized that some sort of ink kitchen was needed after its display division began experiencing “explosive growth.”
“With the help of Poteet, we installed a short order ink kitchen that had the same computer system of the advanced ink kitchens in the market, but the dispensing system was manual and had a very small footprint,” Wagner said.
After the purchase of a Gopfert Evolution Dual die drum rotary die cutter, the demand for multi-color orders had increased so much that a completely automated ink dispenser was needed.
“Poteet helped us install a completely automated ink kitchen with a larger footprint,” Wagner said. “The ink kitchen is custom made to fit the raw material outside of the ink room under a stairway. By putting the drums of raw materials under this stairway, we actually gained space in our ink room.”
2019 was a strong year for Peachtree Packaging.
In April, the company was named Gwinnett County’s “Most Valuable Provider” by Partnership Gwinnett’s Movers & Makers Manufacturing & Supply Chain Awards.
Peachtree Packaging was chosen specifically for its approach to customer service, its commitment to quality products and service delivery, and its responsiveness to customer needs.
In September, the company also received two international design awards for its semi-permanent/corrugated POP displays from AICC’s 2019 Independent Packaging Design Competition.
One of the awards was for the Black Box Wine coffin display, which took first place in the category of “Best Use of Corrugated Replacing Other Substrates.”
“These two displays are examples of how our amazing design team shines in the area of engineering unique solutions that overcome design and cost challenges,” Wagner said.“We try to remove all roadblocks that might limit creativity by giving our clients access to the absolute best technology, equipment and engineers in the industry. There is no design challenge our team is not willing to take head-on and turn into an amazing display that helps consumers connect with a company’s brand.”
This year, Peachtree Packaging picked up another prize from Partnership Gwinnett’s Movers and Makers Manufacturing and Supply Chain Awards.
This time, Peachtree took home the “Manufacturer of the Year” Award in the medium-sized manufacturer category.
The Movers & Makers Awards recognizes outstanding small, medium and large manufacturers in Gwinnett, GA, as well as innovators in supply chain management. The event is organized by Partnership Gwinnett in collaboration with Gwinnett Technical College and is the largest of its kind in the state of Georgia.
“Peachtree Packaging & Display has been thriving in Gwinnett County for 40 years. Being recognized as a ‘2020 Manufacturer of the Year’ and the ‘2019 MVP’ by Partnership Gwinnett is a huge honor,” Wagner said. “We are committed to investing in industry-leading equipment, advanced technology and a homegrown staff so we can continue our winning streak for many years to come.
“Our industry is constantly changing. We are committed to staying on the leading edge of that change. We demand that from ourselves and our customers expect that from us,” Wagner continued. “Our value as a company comes from our ability to impact our consumer’s bottom line through our suggestions and solutions. Our equipment helps with that, but above and beyond the equipment, Peachtree Packaging invests a significant amount of resources yearly on operator training and continuing education. We literally travel the world every year to observe and learn what the best in the world are doing to excel.
“Above and beyond that we have a diverse team of consultants on staff, each with a wealth of experience in different areas of the industry. We have to lead in this area. We are committed to this continual search for knowledge. We cannot rest when it comes to this. It is the constant evolution and growth mindset that will fuel Peachtree Packaging for the next 40 years,” Wagner concluded.
The company now employs a team of more than 150 designers, engineers, machine operators, account managers and support staff.
Chad Wagner has been at Peachtree Packaging in some capacity from the time he was a teenager.
After earning a degree at the University of Georgia and time in the Air Force, Wagner came back to Peachtree Packaging as a full-time salesperson in the early 1990s.
Wagner, along with Andy Auchmuty, Ed Davis and one other partner, purchased Peachtree Packaging from the original ownership group in 2016.
Davis and Auchmuty were both long-tenured sales reps and shareholders as well
.
“I started sweeping floors and catching boxes off the back of machines when I was in high school,” said Wagner, who now serves as president and CEO. “The experience of learning this business from every single level has been invaluable. My vision, and our vision as a team, is to keep the core values that made Peachtree Packaging successful in the first place. The principles of being a service-first solutions provider and most importantly, operating as a family internally, have allowed us to pass the test of time and stay successful for more than 40 years.”
Wagner said he bought the company to grow it – not to rely solely on past success.
“Our vision is to achieve that growth by being industry leaders and pushing as hard as we can from a technology and equipment standpoint,” he said. “We strive to be the best in the world at what we do. I want our salespeople and staff to know that we have the best equipment in the world to help them achieve their goals. I already know we have the best people.”
Over the past four decades, Peachtree Packaging has worked with Coca-Cola, Disney, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Ray-Ban, AT&T, Hitachi, Yamaha and more.
The products Peachtree Packaging manufactures can be placed into three distinct categories – displays, experiential packaging - graphic packaging solutions, and industrial packaging solutions.
In the case of the first of these categories, the company is able to design and manufacture innovative semi-permanent/corrugated and permanent point-of-purchase (POP) solutions that are intended to generate maximum brand exposure and help to drive client’s revenue.
It is able to offer full-color 3D renderings, pre-production sampling and testing for its displays. Working with corrugated, wood, plastic, wire and metal, Peachtree Packaging’s team also has the expertise to incorporate sound, lights, motion
and video.
Experiential Packaging, meanwhile, covers Peachtree Packaging’s graphic packaging solutions.
Packaging is often the most direct touchpoint for said clients’ customers.
As direct-to-consumer/e-commerce evolves, delivering a complete brand experience that extends beyond the product itself and transcends into the entire package is vital.
“There are so many options for direct-to-consumer transactions these days. That dynamic has allowed the package or box to become much more than just a delivery vessel,” said Pete Galbiati, Peachtree Packaging’s director of marketing. “In today’s e-commerce-centric world, in many cases, the box that a consumer gets in their hand is the only physical interaction they have with a brand. That makes the packaging that much more important to get right.”
With regards to the company’s industrial packaging solutions, whether a client is shipping bowling balls, fragile truck windshields, or liquids and food, Peachtree Packaging’s team of designers and engineers are experienced in developing solutions that fit every single requirement.
Peachtree Packaging’s protective, custom-designed storage boxes and inner pack solutions ensure that products get to their destination safely and without damage. All solutions are tested for strength and durability and are designed to meet UPS and FedEx requirements.
The company’s in-house design lab is comprised of three full-time designers, one full-time graphic artist and three sample cutters covering 16 hours per day.
Equipment includes two 86x120 Esko cutting tables and a large format HP Scitex printer.
Peachtree Packaging’s manufacturing facility is equipped to produce upwards of 360,000,000 square feet a year of some of the most technical packaging in the market.
The warehouse facility has a holding capacity of 6,000 pallet positions individually barcoded and inventoried in the company’s enterprise planning resource system.
The fulfillment center is fully customizable and staffed with full-time employees who have years of experience building, packing, sorting and shipping the most complex retail promotions.
“We consider ourselves ‘brand caretakers,’” Wagner said. “More often than not, we are the final touchpoint before the consumer has a product in hand or sees it in the marketplace. We take that job very seriously and are grateful for the trust our customers put in our team.”
Peachtree Packaging’s top priority in an ink supplier is a company that provides products and technical support that help maximize its equipment.
Poteet Printing Systems has been Peachtree’s ink supplier going on 20 years.
In 2005 Peachtree was still ordering every kit of ink it needed.
The company realized that some sort of ink kitchen was needed after its display division began experiencing “explosive growth.”
“With the help of Poteet, we installed a short order ink kitchen that had the same computer system of the advanced ink kitchens in the market, but the dispensing system was manual and had a very small footprint,” Wagner said.
After the purchase of a Gopfert Evolution Dual die drum rotary die cutter, the demand for multi-color orders had increased so much that a completely automated ink dispenser was needed.
“Poteet helped us install a completely automated ink kitchen with a larger footprint,” Wagner said. “The ink kitchen is custom made to fit the raw material outside of the ink room under a stairway. By putting the drums of raw materials under this stairway, we actually gained space in our ink room.”
2019 was a strong year for Peachtree Packaging.
In April, the company was named Gwinnett County’s “Most Valuable Provider” by Partnership Gwinnett’s Movers & Makers Manufacturing & Supply Chain Awards.
Peachtree Packaging was chosen specifically for its approach to customer service, its commitment to quality products and service delivery, and its responsiveness to customer needs.
In September, the company also received two international design awards for its semi-permanent/corrugated POP displays from AICC’s 2019 Independent Packaging Design Competition.
One of the awards was for the Black Box Wine coffin display, which took first place in the category of “Best Use of Corrugated Replacing Other Substrates.”
“These two displays are examples of how our amazing design team shines in the area of engineering unique solutions that overcome design and cost challenges,” Wagner said.“We try to remove all roadblocks that might limit creativity by giving our clients access to the absolute best technology, equipment and engineers in the industry. There is no design challenge our team is not willing to take head-on and turn into an amazing display that helps consumers connect with a company’s brand.”
This year, Peachtree Packaging picked up another prize from Partnership Gwinnett’s Movers and Makers Manufacturing and Supply Chain Awards.
This time, Peachtree took home the “Manufacturer of the Year” Award in the medium-sized manufacturer category.
The Movers & Makers Awards recognizes outstanding small, medium and large manufacturers in Gwinnett, GA, as well as innovators in supply chain management. The event is organized by Partnership Gwinnett in collaboration with Gwinnett Technical College and is the largest of its kind in the state of Georgia.
“Peachtree Packaging & Display has been thriving in Gwinnett County for 40 years. Being recognized as a ‘2020 Manufacturer of the Year’ and the ‘2019 MVP’ by Partnership Gwinnett is a huge honor,” Wagner said. “We are committed to investing in industry-leading equipment, advanced technology and a homegrown staff so we can continue our winning streak for many years to come.
“Our industry is constantly changing. We are committed to staying on the leading edge of that change. We demand that from ourselves and our customers expect that from us,” Wagner continued. “Our value as a company comes from our ability to impact our consumer’s bottom line through our suggestions and solutions. Our equipment helps with that, but above and beyond the equipment, Peachtree Packaging invests a significant amount of resources yearly on operator training and continuing education. We literally travel the world every year to observe and learn what the best in the world are doing to excel.
“Above and beyond that we have a diverse team of consultants on staff, each with a wealth of experience in different areas of the industry. We have to lead in this area. We are committed to this continual search for knowledge. We cannot rest when it comes to this. It is the constant evolution and growth mindset that will fuel Peachtree Packaging for the next 40 years,” Wagner concluded.
