Conner Industries has acquired Garland, Texas-based Guardian Packaging Services and opened a new manufacturing facility in Kentucky.
FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 1, 2023 – Conner Industries, Inc., a leading provider of lumber, industrial wood crates & pallets, and integrated packaging solutions, has announced the acquisition of Guardian Packaging Industries, LP. Guardian Packaging is a foam-cutting specialist and an integrated packaging provider that utilizes wood, foam, and corrugate components. The company is located in Garland, Texas, and also includes the Southwest Air Products division, which produces adhesive foam tapes for a variety of applications. This latest purchase marks the company’s fourth investment in the expansion of its integrated packaging division. It includes facilities in Lewisburg, Tennessee; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Guthrie, Kentucky.
The new facility is expected to serve large manufacturing customers with industrial packaging and military SPEC non-metallic component products, drawing upon a broad range of materials, including wood, foam, plastic, and corrugated. It will continue to be a major provider of custom-cut foam for military drones. Registered with CCR and SAM, the new acquisition also maintains AS9100D and ISO9001 certifications. It recycles 35 tons of material annually as part of its established environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.
“With 65,000 square feet of indoor manufacturing space, Guardian Packaging serves as an ideal facility to broaden our integrated packaging offerings to both new and existing customers, in addition to expanding into military, defense, and other new verticals”
– David Dixon, CEO of Conner Industries.
“With 65,000 square feet of indoor manufacturing space, Guardian Packaging serves as an ideal facility to broaden our integrated packaging offerings to both new and existing customers, in addition to expanding into military, defense, and other new verticals,” said David Dixon, CEO of Conner Industries.
“This acquisition exemplifies Conner’s commitment to providing customers with the ability to protect their goods throughout transportation and handling and is an important strategic development for us in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex,” he continued. “Conner continues to grow profitably, and expand geographically and into other industrial, manufacturing, and military sectors. Our balance sheet is strong, and we are proud that we have been able to close this acquisition with Conner’s own cash resources.”
“We believe that Conner, one of the dominant players in the industrial packaging space, is a perfect fit for Guardian Packaging as they continue to expand their reach into growing markets in the Dallas area,” added Norm Stuart of Guardian Packaging. “Together, Conner and Guardian will continue to provide protective packaging, foam, and foam tape customers with the highest standard of customer service while providing solutions that meet a demanding transportation and handling environment.”
Conner Industries Opens New Plant in Kentucky
Earlier in July, Conner announced it had opened a new manufacturing facility in Guthrie, Kentucky. This latest expansion into southern Kentucky manufacturing markets serves to further enlarge Conner’s integrated packaging division footprint. The new facility is just one of several large investments and acquisitions made by the company over the last few years.
The location features 75,000+ square feet of manufacturing space and 3,000 square feet of office space, providing ample production space for both wood pallet assembly and mixed material transportation packaging. The new location also offers three dock doors, five rollup doors, and a rail spur. It is conveniently situated a short distance from both Highway 79 and Highway 41, near the Kentucky and Tennessee border.
The new Kentucky facility is expected to serve large manufacturing customers in both the southern Kentucky and Tennessee markets, along with its sister plants in Lewisburg, Tennessee and Fayetteville, Tennessee. The expansion will serve pallet clients, as well as customers requiring integrated packaging solutions.
“The opening of a new facility in Kentucky is an important strategic development for Conner,” said David Dixon. “The new site will serve as an ideal platform to broaden our integrated packaging products to new and existing customers. This expansion illustrates the Conner commitment to adapting to our customers’ ever-changing need for solutions that reduce the total cost of packaging.”
“Through strategic locations like this one, Conner continues to demonstrate our commitment to providing packaging solutions that optimize supply chains,” he added. “The Kentucky location aligns our products and services with the needs of our customers in a rapidly changing and demanding industrial packaging environment.”
Conner Industries is a leading provider of industrial wood and packaging solutions in the United States. The company specializes in supplying cut lumber (softwoods, hardwoods, and panel products) needed for pallets, crates, and skid parts, fully assembled custom pallets, crates, integrated packaging solutions, and a wide variety of tailored services. Conner serves customers nationwide from 15 plant locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.