Sonoco announced on Wednesday that it was investing nearly $12 million in a brand new research and development project in Hartsville.
Jack Sanders, president and chief executive officer, made the announcement at the shareholder’s meeting for Sonoco, which is a diversified global packaging company, according to a press release.
Sonoco is investing $11.9 million to build a new IPS (Innovative Packaging Solutions) research and development studio that will open in the third quarter of 2015 on its Hartsville campus.
“The center will be a state-of-the-art research and development facility that will connect consumer insights to the invention of new consumer packaging,” a press release said.
Sanders said the IPS Studio will include a Consumer Interaction Studio that will allow live, direct observation of consumers interacting with products and packaging in areas representing retail, kitchen, living and bathroom environments.
The facility will also contain collaboration spaces, where experts will interact with the latest technologies to turn ideas into packaging concepts. The concepts will include structural design and manufacturing to access potential for commercialization.
The center will feature rapid prototyping labs that will use the concepts in developing engineered prototypes.
“We are focused on leveraging our design engineering and material science capabilities with rapid prototyping, including 3D printing capabilities, an FDA-registered food fill facility and a multi-platform pilot plant with manufacturing production capabilities for producing test-run packaging for our customers,” he said.
