COLONIAL CARTON COMPANY was founded in 1979 in Garner, N.C., offering small-scale commercial productions of unprinted folding cartons. With 5,000 square feet of potential and just one pre-owned hand-fed die cutter, the business began production. Eventually, the company moved its headquarters to a larger 15,000 square foot facility in Clayton, N.C. with plans to build a bigger, more expansive manufacturing facility. By 2005, Colonial Carton had grown its operation to over 72,000 square feet while bulking up its roster of packaging equipment. Over 25 years of innovation and quality production helped Colonial develop strategic partnerships with other trusted vendors to create contingency plans in case of operational breakdowns. This initiative would be tested.
In 2005, a catastrophic fire swept through Colonial’s facilities, consuming the entire 72,000 sq. ft. development. With no machines or buildings, the company put their contingency plan in action. By utilizing the strategic partnerships, Colonial was able to continue operations by outsourcing major components of the manufacturing process throughout its recovery. This allowed the company to remain focused on its continued excellence in customer service and the swift rebuilding of its facilities. Less than a year later, Colonial returned to full capacity with larger facilities and new state-of-the-art equipment. This was the beginning of a new era in packaging solutions.
Colonial soon evolved into a full-service designer and manufacturer of printed packaging components. Modern equipment provided the means to provide more products and services than ever before, all while achieving unparalleled strides in quality care management and innovative solutions. The company had evolved into an industry leader for packaging component manufacturing, far exceeding the capabilities that Colonial was once known for. The company decided it was time to update its own label to appropriately reflect its position as the industry leader in innovative packaging services. On January 1, 2009, the company officially began operating as 3C! Packaging.
In September 2020, Essentra Packaging acquired the 3C! Packaging with the intention to add manufacturing capacity and service capability to Essentra’s existing Packaging footprint in the Americas, as well as access to proprietary sterilization technology.
This acquisition opportunity allows Essentra Packaging to enhance its position in the pharmaceutical packaging space, and provides an opportunity to growth in the #1 pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in the US.
