LINCOLN – A global manufacturer and leader in packaging innovation has invested significant resources into expanding its home base in Lincoln. That investment, say its leaders, is giving the company space to continue to thrive and expand far into the future.
Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation, manufacturer of machinery and systems for production of the flexible packaging seen in grocery stores and elsewhere, is positioned well to keep growing and adapting, say its executives.
They emphasize that this company, with North American headquarters at 25 New England Way in Lincoln, is always on the cutting edge of new and more efficient packaging, with ever-evolving advances both to keep food fresher and reduce waste.
During a recent tour with The Local Insider following a springtime ribbon-cutting ceremony, they gave an inside look at how W&H completed its two-year expansion of its North American headquarters, which more than doubles their warehouse capacity and significantly expands office space.
In line with its global sustainability strategy, W&H installed photovoltaic panels expected to generate most of the facility’s electricity needs, including powering the HVAC system. The project was supported by federal funding as well as a grant from the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund.
“This expansion reflects our unyielding commitment to serving customers across the United States and Canada,” said Andrew Wheeler, president of Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation. “Our business is built on relationships and service, and this investment allows us to continue growing our team while delivering the level of support our customers rely on.”
The expansion increases operational capacity, and supports continued team growth in North America. A new warehouse expands storage of spare parts for both W&H and its subsidiary, Garant, allowing for more efficient order fulfillment. Currently, more than 70 percent of orders are delivered overnight from stock in Rhode Island.
“We designed this new office and warehouse with our employees front and center. We wanted to create a place where people feel at home and can do their best work,” added Wheeler. “That meant making the space both comfortable and practical, with more workstations, sit-to-stand desks, additional natural light, and areas that support both collaboration and focused work. We also built the facility with future growth in mind, knowing this is an investment in the next chapter of our company.”
They said they were proud to be able to donate some of the furniture they were getting rid of to Lincoln schools, and have always valued their relationship with their host town going back some 50 years.
W&H is at the top of the game for what it does, said Wheeler, and that’s no accident for this German company founded 130 years ago and with locations around the world.
The sales and service hub is in Lincoln, allowing them to give direct customer support to people all over the world.
Mattson explains the sophistication behind what they do, saying there’s so much that goes into the printing of everything from cement bags to pet food bags. From baguettes to cookies, fast food to fresh produce, bulky rolls to packaged chicken, the world relies on quality packaging for its food, she said.
One of Wheeler’s favorite stories to tell, he said, is about advances in plastic bag packaging that allows oxygen in but keeps moisture out. Salad leaves were so fresh after 10 or 12 days in the packaging, he said, that people thought preservatives were being added. These types of innovations are pivotal in places such as Africa where spoilage en route to people is so much more prevalent, he said. So much food is being lost there before it ever gets to the market, he emphasized, leading to people going hungry.
Mattson said many people never guess that a big company relying on packaging for its revenue is so conscious about reducing greenhouse gases. Someone can say all they want that they want to reduce pollution by not flying in planes, she said, but not wasting food is an attainable step to assist toward the goal.
Lighter packaging that keeps food fresher is far better for the environment than heavier plastic that leads to increased spoilage, she said.
“There are a lot of things being done to make things better,” she told The Local Insider.
Complicating factors are found in every arena within packaging, she said, such as the fact that medical packaging has to be kept sterile.
W&H is on the forefront of engineering, with more patents and more break-throughs on packaging, said Wheeler. A substantial part of their business is in research and development.
Wheeler said it’s easy to be militant about this or that issue related to plastics until one does more research on the effects of certain changes. For instance, when single-use plastic grocery bags are outlawed, many companies simply increase thickness of the plastic to be able to comply with the law, which ends up having the opposite of the intended impact, he said.
Construction partners for their Lincoln project included Rhode Island-based Vision 3 Architects and Vonsol Construction, alongside Insite Engineering Services, GZA Geoenvironmental, Odeh Engineers, and Avid Engineers.
The company achieved record sales of $300 million in North America in 2024, contributing to $1.2 billion in global revenue.
The building expansion double the space of the original building, according to Wheeler and Catherine Mattson, director of marketing communications and sustainability. Wheeler said they’ve been “growing like crazy,” and are now at nearly 100 employees here, about a 20 percent increase in two years.
“We’re proud to celebrate this milestone with the Windmoeller & Hoelscher team,” said Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor at the May ceremony. “W&H’s decision to double its warehouse and office space and expand its North American presence here in Rhode Island reflects the strength of our business environment. We are also pleased to support this project through Commerce’s Renewable Energy Fund, helping advance a solar installation that will offset the facility’s energy use. We look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.”
