In 1961, Richard Tucker started Compacker with a vision of being one of the most respected case packaging manufacturing companies in North America. Mr. Tucker believed that each customer deserved to be treated with the upmost respect, that the truth would always be told, and that each piece of equipment would be designed and built with quality as a top priority. The tireless pursuit of Mr. Tucker’s original vision and the desire to exceed customers’ expectations has helped mold Compacker into a premier case packaging machinery manufacturer.
After graduating from Iowa State University in 1970 with a Mechanical Engineering degree, Keith Tucker joined the family business. Keith spent the next 25 years designing packaging equipment and as a result has become a well known and respected member of the packaging industry. In 2001, Keith assumed the leadership role at Compacker and continued to drive the company forward. Keith had a vision of expanding Compacker’s product offering to include complete end of line solutions including conveying equipment and robotic palletizing. This was a natural extension of Compacker’s core product. In order to realize this vision, Keith looked for a partner with a robotics background to help lead the company through this transition. It was also very important to Keith, to find a partner that shared similar core values based on integrity, product quality, and delivering the right solution for the customer.
In 2009, an investment group led by John Curtis acquired Compacker. Mr. Curtis worked for Genesis Systems Group for 15 years and was Vice President prior to acquiring and assuming the CEO role at Compacker. Genesis Systems Group is the largest independent integrator of robotic welding systems in North America. Genesis and Compacker have a common investment group and continue to work with each other as opportunities present themselves. Combined, the two companies have nearly 5,000 packaging and robotic system installations worldwide.
Based on a previous relationship with KUKA Robotics, Mr. Curtis knew that Kuka was the best robotic palletizing partner for Compacker and as a result immediately became a system partner. Not only is the Kuka Robot German engineered for precision, it is a proven robot that is highly respected in the global market. Although Kuka is our robot of choice we will integrate other robots based on customer specifications.
Today, Compacker is providing complete end of line solutions in order to satisfy our customers desire to have one company provide complete turnkey solutions. Although the company has expanded its product offering, the core principles remain the same. We will treat each customer with the upmost respect. We will tell the truth and we will continue to design and build high quality systems that meet our customers’ unique requirements.
