TAUNTON, MASS. — Harpak-ULMA recently announced that Kevin Roach, the company’s chief executive officer, would be appointed chairman of the board. He will replace Charlie Harlfinger, the longtime chairman who also served as president of Harpak-ULMA from 1998 to 2013, who is retiring.

“Charlie was my first, most important and longest-standing mentor,” said Roach, who joined Harpak-ULMA in 2018. “He preached the importance of putting the customer first and demonstrated that philosophy by focusing our decisions and investments around creating customer value. He challenged us to innovate using technology to benefit our customers. We learned as much from our failures as our successes, and it was that type of environment that helped shape this company’s innovation mindset. Charlie’s invaluable contributions and unwavering commitment helped make Harpak-ULMA a force to be reckoned with. It is with heartfelt appreciation that we wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”

The company said Harlfinger’s efforts brought in many key customers who are now part of Harpak-ULMA. They added that his reputation for formulating transformative, customer-centric packaging solutions and high standards for customer collaboration helped solidify his status as an industry icon.

Harlfinger began his packaging career when he founded Kutter Supplies in 1974. The company did not use traditional relay controls and instead utilized programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) controls — a first pass at digital transformation. 

Following a merger with TW Foods, TW Kutter started becoming a leader in meat processing and medical packaging equipment through its digital capabilities, which supported product consistency, audit trails, and improved security and regulatory compliance. The company was the first to adopt on-demand digital printing for packaging, an innovative solution that further solidified TW Kutter’s industry reputation for innovation.

In 1994, Harlfinger’s daughter Linda Harlfinger founded Harpak, which became Harpak-ULMA. Charlie joined as CEO and steered a significant collaboration with G. Mondini to improve the effectiveness of tray-sealed modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). The improvement in MAP Tray-seal results positioned Harpak-ULMA to capitalize on the meat industry’s shift to tray-sealed protein. 

The company added that its dedication to high-quality equipment, reliable performance and innovative packaging techniques helped Harlfinger gain the trust of meat processors and retailers around the country. 

“My Dad has been my guide, mentor and champion,” Linda Harlfinger said. “More importantly, he led by example, encouraging an organizational commitment to excellence that made Harpak-ULMA what it is today. There are no words to thank him for all he has done for this company and for me. He set a tremendous example of how to run a business — not only management technique but from the human perspective. He instilled in me the importance of collaborating with peers, employees, customers and partners, as well as a solid work ethic, perseverance and integrity.”

In addition to its offerings for the meat processing industry, Harpak-ULMA also offers flexible, automated and sustainable packaging equipment for pet food applications, including flow wrapping, thermoforming, vertical bagging and automated palletizing solutions.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.