About Penmar industries

Leading the label industry since 1964
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Early Penmar manufacturing facility

Our Story

Penmar Industries was created by James Penders and Phillip Marchese circa 1964 in NY and moved to Norwalk, CT in 1967. Both Jim and Phil were consummate sales executives in the packaging industry with a very strong customer base and clear vision of how they wanted to grow and add value to their customers. At the time, they believed that by joining forces they would be in a much stronger position to serve their extensive customer base. And so, Penmar Industries was created to serve customers in the packaging industry across the northeast.

Shortly after creating Penmar, Jim and Phil along with several other associates in the same industry, wanted to develop their own line of pressure sensitive tapes to compete with the likes of 3M, Intertape, Shurtape among many others. They were all very familiar with the industry and had been selling these types of tapes for many years. They felt that by creating their own brand not only would they be more customer focused, but would also be able to provide better quality and on time delivery. As such, our brand named SpecTape was born and the group built a converting facility in Erlanger, KY to serve all the various partners across the US. To this day, SpecTape is one of the preeminent tape brands in the US serving customer nationally and around the world.

Looking to always move Penmar into a more value-add porting of our customers supply chain, and with the understanding that we must continue to reinvent our company and value proposition for our customers, it was decided that we should venture into the pressure sensitive label manufacturing business. Thus, during the 1990’s we purchased our first flexo printing press to serve customers in the custom-made short-run label industry. Since that time we have added several other printing presses and technologies that enable Penmar to continually expand our product portfolio and value-add proposition to our customers.

Over the years, we have built a legacy of exceeding customer expectations for quality products, reliable service and providing solutions for challenging problems. This has always been and continues to be one of Penmar Industries’ chief sources of pride and competitive advantage. It has been this commitment to excellence that has earned us recognition as a leading minority supplier of quality labels, tapes and packaging supplies during the past 50 years.

Today we have relocated the company to a new facility in Stratford, CT. Our new organic strategy requires Penmar to expand our footprint not only by the square footage of the building that manufactures our labels, but also by the number and nature of markets we serve. Over the course of the next 5 years we will implement the accelerated growth portion of our strategy to effectively triple the size of the company in that timeframe. This is a very exciting time for all of our Penmar customers and employees. It is our goal to achieve our growth strategy seamlessly and transparent to all our customers. The only impact our customers should feel is the improved reliability and sustainability of Penmar industries products and services at a better cost.

Our Mission

To engineer, manufacture, and distribute superior pressure sensitive tapes, labels, packaging/shipping and industrial supplies solutions. We continually exceed expectations for product quality, reliability, service, innovation, integrity, and profitability. Our employees comprise a dedicated team of professionals who promote safety, a positive work environment, build valued business relationships, and are ever sensitive to the needs of our customers and community.

Our Values

Integrity

We manage our business honestly and ethically. We will always do what is right and take personal responsibility for our actions. We will behave in a way that earns the trust and respect of all of our customers and enhances the reputation of our company.

Respect

We treat all people with dignity and respect. We will create a work environment that is open and attracts, supports and retains a high-quality, culturally diverse workforce capable of meeting the challenges of a competitive environment.

Teamwork

We work together as a team of professionals, leveraging our employees’ unique talents and skills in a spirit of cooperation and trust, constantly communicating and holding each other mutually accountable to achieve our common goals.

Quality

We provide outstanding products and unsurpassed service that, together, deliver premium value to our customers. We continuously look for improvements in our process, performance and strive to be the best at everything we do.

Customer Focus

 Our customers are our number one priority and we consistently meet or exceed their expectations.

Our Quality Statement

It is Penmar Industries objective to provide quality products which meet or exceed our customer’s requirements and expectations. We achieve this by continually improving our processes, training, and infrastructure. All employees of Penmar Industries understand this policy and apply it to their daily activities and achievement of quality objectives.

Our Team

Ed Rodriguez

Ed Rodriguez

President

Former Commissioner of the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission Ed Rodríguez is the President of Penmar Industries, Inc., a 47-year-old Stratford, Connecticut based company with extended facilities in Erlanger, Kentucky. He has over 35 years of international sales/marketing and general management experience in both profit and non-profit sectors. Rodríguez has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico. He also holds an MBA from Dolan School of Business, at Fairfield University. Ed is an active community member, having served — and continuing to serve — on several boards, including: SpecTape, Inc., Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Fairfield County Community Foundation, and the Housatonic Community College, among others. Ed is an involved leader in the Stratford community, where he and his wife Vivian reside close to their two children, Eddy and Patricia, and grandsons Thomas and William.

Rick Cipot

Rick Cipot

Operations & General Manager

Starting his career in the printing industry in the early 1980’s, Rick Cipot was a production assistant in the lithography field and soon advanced as manager of a print house in Stamford, CT. Rick transitioned to Pepsi in 1990 as a director of Commercial Graphics for flexographic labels and packaging.

Rick joined Penmar Industries, Inc. in 1996 to head up the production team, overseeing custom label production. With the expansion of the manufacturing division of Penmar, he was in charge of all aspects of custom products, including labels and packaging. He was promoted to the position of Operations & General Manager in 2005.

He continues to keep current with production standards and current trends in the flexographic and packaging fields. He has had extensive lean manufacturing and ISO training, along with holding a Green Belt in Six Sigma. Rick is also a member of the Flexographic Technical Association, The Institute of Packaging Professionals and Nikon Professional Services. Rick is always customer oriented, providing solutions and his printing expertise to everyone.

Eddy Rodriguez

Eddy Rodriguez

VP of Finance

Jeffrey Dais

Jeffrey Dais

Sales

Kate Leo

Kate Leo

Customer Service

Sandy Gould

Sandy Gould

Purchasing Manager