Ranpak, the US-based packaging and packaging machinery manufacturer, has been named one of the Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in America by Inc Magazine.
Inc Magazine ranked the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies in the country based upon the number of patents issued in the last five years. Ranpak, in 10th place, has 103 US patents and another 100 overseas, as part of its global operations.
Ranpak was the only company not in the medical/pharmaceutical or the hardware/software fields to make the top 10 list. "It's amazing [Ranpak is] in that group," said Leigh Buchanan, senior editor of Inc. "[Ranpak is] looking for ways to improve their products and machines. That gives them a competitive edge."
Ranpak's core product - the PadPak in-the-box packaging system - represented one of the major innovations in protective packaging in the last 50 years when it was introduced in the early 1980s: an automated system that produced paper packaging materials on demand. Other companies have tried to replicate Ranpak's concept or apply it to plastic packaging, but the company claims that it has managed to stay ahead of the competition through continued development and extensive patent protection.
"From the very beginning, continuous product improvement has been critical to Ranpak's success," said Mark Dawson, director of marketing. "Ranpak could not have survived and flourished as it has without the constant attention that has been devoted to new product development and intellectual property management."
Ranpak is a manufacturer of paper-based in-the-box protective packaging systems and products, including PadPak packaging systems. Ranpak's systems convert rolls of multi-ply kraft paper into lightweight cushions for use in protecting products transported in a box, including a range of food produce.
Ranpak's corporate headquarters are in Concord Township, Ohio, with additional manufacturing facilities in Nevada and the Netherlands and a sales office in Singapore.