Amid company’s rapid growth, C-Level executive with decades of strategic business management experience joins company to oversee all day-to-day operations.
Louisville, KY – LLFlex – a global leader in packaging materials and industrial laminate solutions for the consumer packaging, building & construction, and wire & cable industries, has hired John Kay as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Kay will assume responsibility for developing and executing the company’s operations strategy, overseeing day-to-day operations, and collaborating with the CEO and Executive Team to support the organization at a time of rapid organic and external growth.
Before joining LLFlex, Mr. Kay was President of The Morven Group, which provides operational support for manufacturing and distribution companies. Prior to that, he spent seven years as Executive VP of Manufacturing & Distribution for HVHC, an integrated optical solutions provider with more than 5,000 employees. He also spent three years as VP of Operations for the Printed Components & Clinical Services division of Catalent Pharma Solutions. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kay was Business Unit Project Manager and Plant Manager, Consumer Packaging for Alcoa/Reynolds Metals – a position that provided him deep experience with LLFlex’s core technologies across laminating, printing and aluminum foil applications.
Mr. Kay joins LLFlex during an expansion period, including rapid scale-up at its new 73,500-square-foot fully integrated manufacturing facility in High Point, North Carolina. The plant houses high-speed, premium-efficiency equipment for custom laminating, coating, embossing, and slitting to address growing product demand. The facility utilizes state-of-the-art automated slitting and packaging robotics to provide short lead times and customized solutions.
For the company’s Packaging segment, which includes solutions for the tobacco, consumer and healthcare markets, new laminators with solvent coating stations and new slitting assets provide additional annual capacity of more than 70 million lbs. of product. These assets supplement and provide supply chain risk mitigation for LLFlex’s existing Louisville facility by manufacturing innerfoil and printed innerframe for tobacco packaging, laminated folding carton stock, label and base stock for lotto/gaming, laminated convolute canister stock and many other unique products for various packaging applications.
Recently, LLFlex’s packaging portfolio was further expanded by the acquisition of Hampden Papers, a premium paper converter known for expertise in a wide range of packaging niches, including various paper, film and foil-based packaging for food & beverage, premium laminated carton board for health & beauty products, and transfer-metalized paper and board for sustainable packaging solutions. The merger also created synergies to offer an enhanced array of tags, labels, tickets, cards, rigid boxes, gift wrap, envelopes, book jackets and decorative wallpaper.
For the Industrial Laminates segment, which caters to the wire & cable, building & construction and other industrial markets, a new laminator with multiple coating stations and dedicated slitter are complemented by an advanced steel, copper and aluminum cable wrap production cell that adds upwards of 60 million lbs of annual capacity. Recently, both portfolio and production capacity were further bolstered by the acquisition of Web Industries’ Bare Metal Armoring Tapes Slitting Division.
“LLFlex is in the midst of a rapid growth spurt and, considering all the moving parts, we have confidence that someone with John’s exemplary track record can own the entire operational model, ensuring operational continuity and end-to-end product quality control,” said Victor Dixon, CEO of LLFlex. “With a new facility and high-level acquisitions providing additional space, infrastructure and opportunities for production growth and market expansion, John’s expertise and leadership will help maintain our exemplary reputation for innovation and quality.”
Mr. Kay earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute, and an MBA in Operations Management & Finance from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
About LLFlex, LLC
LLFlex, LLC is a leader in packaging materials and industrial laminate solutions for the building & construction, wire & cable, and consumer packaging & other printable substrate markets. The company has manufacturing operations in Kentucky and North Carolina. LLFlex has sales and supply chain offices in the US, UK and China and markets its products through its network of global agents and partners.
LLFlex’s extensive laminating experience with various substrates makes them a preferred supplier of materials for many consumer product industries. LLFlex manufactures various paper, board, foils, films, metallized and holographic laminates for flexible packaging applications such as folding carton basestock, lotto/gaming board, convolute canister stock, gift wrap and various other applications. The company is North America’s largest supplier of cigarette inner liner materials and also produces printed innerframe.
For the building & construction sectors, LLFlex provides a full line of laminated insulation and radiant barrier facers designed to meet the industry’s requirements for gas & moisture barrier, product adhesion, reflectivity, durability, and longevity. For the wire & cable industry, the company’s line of cable armor, wraps and tapes includes mono and co-ex layered film formulations using proven, high quality resins throughout the structure for consistent, reliable long-term performance. For more information, call (800) 634-3645 or visit www.llflex.com.