Signode Industrial Group - Glenview, Illinois

1913
Chicago inventor, Ellsworth E. Flora, and his partner, J. Fremont Murphy, organize the Seal and Fastener Company.

1916
The “Signode” name is adopted.

1923
Signode Britain is formed as the first foreign subsidiary.

1936
Signode International, Ltd. is formed to consolidate all international businesses.

1946
Signode develops the first fully automatic power strapping machine, revolutionizing the packaging business.

1955
Signode is listed on the NYSE.

1962
Plastic strapping and tools are developed and sold.

1964
Signode Steel Strapping becomes Signode Corporation.

1965
Signode develops its own polypropylene strapping, called Contrax®.

1971
Corporate offices move to Glenview, Illinois.

1977
Tenax® polyester strapping is developed.

1982
Signode Corporation becomes Signode Industries Inc. in one of the largest leveraged buy-outs in American business history at that time.

1983
Tape and stretch film packaging systems are added to Signode's product line, making Signode the premier full-line supplier of protective packaging systems.

1986
Signode is acquired by ITW and restructured as Signode Packaging Systems.

1988
Signode launches a Closed Loop Recycling Program that enables companies to recycle used polyester strapping to reduce their packaging waste and disposal costs. Recaptured strapping is used for the manufacture of new strapping.

1990
Signode develops High-Strength Tenax® polyester strapping, which later replaces steel strapping in many applications, including lumber and panel products, cotton bales, brick cubes and paper rolls.

1998
Global industry managers are named to address product development and marketing issues affecting select industries worldwide.

1999
The Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), USA, takes over the Strapex Group. This makes Strapex part of Signode Packaging Systems.

2003
A modular strapping system that consists of separate, lightweight tensioning and sealing modules is developed. This innovative system drastically reduces maintenance costs and downtime on strapping equipment.

2004
Signode introduces its high speed, low maintenance LBX and HBX series General Purpose Equipment line featuring jam-resistant technology, automatic loading, no drives, belts or pulleys and 40% fewer parts than competitive strapping machine models.
The strategic Cooperation of the Orgapack Strapex Group Management builds the connection to Orgapack

2006
since October 2006 the Josef Kihlberg AB becomes a company of ITW and therefore part of Signode Packaging Systems

2009
Committed to being a leader in sustainability for the packaging industry, Signode develops a thin strap that utilizes 40% fewer raw materials in the manufacturing process without sacrificing performance.

2013
Signode introduces the GripPack, the first battery powered sealer and tensioner for steel strapping.

2014
Signode is acquired by The Carlyle Group and restructured as Signode Industrial Group.
Columbia becomes part of the Signode Industrial Group
Signode introduces the MOD-GPX modular general purpose strapping machine.

2018
Crown Holdings Inc. takes over the Signode Industrial Group and organized as Crown’s Transit Packaging Division

Sources:
- www.signodestrapping.com
- www.signode-europe.com
- www.signode.com