Bemis Company, Inc. was a global manufacturer of flexible packaging products (ranging from self-venting cook-in-bag packaging and retort packaging for shelf-stable products, to
vacuum
A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often dis ...
packaging for meat products and puncture-resistant, sterile medical packaging) and pressure-sensitive materials. Bemis was headquartered in
Neenah, Wisconsin
Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River, approximately forty miles (60 km) southwest of Green ...
in the United States. Its divisions were located in 12 countries and its films for packaging products and adhesive materials were distributed worldwide.
In August 2018,
Amcor announced it would acquire the company for $5.25 billion in shares. The deal completed on June 11, 2019, and all operations have been merged with Amcor.
History
Bemis Brothers Bag Company was founded by Judson Moss Bemis in 1858 in St. Louis, Missouri, as a manufacturer of printed cotton bags for food products. Its first location was on the second floor of a machine shop, which provided steam to operate the printing presses and readily available maintenance personnel for machine repairs.
Two key innovations Bemis' company originally pioneered were the printing and machine-sewing of bags. (Traditionally, bags were stenciled and hand-sewn.) Bemis' first order was for 200 half-barrel sacks. To allay worries that machine-sewn bags were inferior to traditional hand-sewn bags, Judson Bemis unconditionally guaranteed every bag his company manufactured.
In 1867, Judson Bemis' brother, Stephen A. Bemis, returned from the gold rush and joined Judson in the bag manufacturing business. Bemis Bro. Bag Co. opened its second plant in 1880 in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, followed by a third in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1888. These plants were followed by others in New Orleans, Superior (WI), San Francisco, Indianapolis, Memphis, Kansas City, Seattle, Wichita and Winnipeg. In the early 1900s, Bemis opened its first paper bag manufacturing plant.
On July 25, 2003, Bemis Company, Inc. and
UPM-Kymmene
UPM-Kymmene Oyj is a Finnish forest industry company. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation with Repola Oy and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996.
UPM consists of six business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM Ra ...
() agreed to terminate their agreement to sell Bemis' Pressure Sensitive Materials Business to UPM-Kymmene. On April 15, 2003, the Department of Justice was granted an injunction to block the transaction.
In 2011, the company had net sales of $5.3 billion, operating 78 facilities in 12 countries. Over two-thirds of Bemis packaging is used in the food industry, with the balance used in markets including medical, pharmaceutical, chemical, and agribusiness. Bemis' pressure-sensitive products are used in industries including graphic arts, digital imaging, assembly engineering, communications and medical. In July 2012 Bemis company announced a strategic partnership with Norwegian printed electronics company
Thin Film Electronics ASA
Ensurge Micropower ASA (Oslo Stock Exchange ENSU is a Norway, Norwegian microbattery manufacturing company with global headquarters, R&D offices, and flexible electronics manufacturing in San Jose, California, United States and corporate headqua ...
to bring printed electronics to existing Bemis packaging lines. In 2013 the company acquired a China-based film platform. In 2014, Bemis sold its Paper Packaging Division to Hood Packaging Corporation.
Mascot
![Bemis 021920](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Bemis_021920.jpg)
The mascot for Bemis Brothers Bag Company was a cat named Biddy. The logo printed on their bags was drawn from a cat (and "excellent mouser") in their first factory. Judson viewed the logo as communicating that Bemis would deal fairly with its customers by "letting the cat out of the bag". Several sculptures of Biddy were displayed at their second branch in Omaha.
Variations on the logo included Biddy with four kittens (symbolizing the company's four factories), Biddy playing bagpipes in Minneapolis, Biddy playing baseball in Omaha, and Biddy with an umbrella in Seattle. The mascot was retired in 1962.
See also
*
Bemis Omaha Bag Company Building
The Bemis Bag Company Building is a historic building located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1887 in a commercial style, the building was designed by the prolific Omaha architecture firm of Mendelssohn and Lawrie. It was designated an Omaha ...
*
Bemis, Tennessee
Bemis is a former company town in Madison County, Tennessee, United States, now part of the city of Jackson. The Bemis Brothers Bag Company established the town in 1900 to be the site of a cotton mill and housing for the mill workers. A area of B ...
*
Bemiston, Alabama
Bemiston is an unincorporated community and former company town in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. Bemiston now lies within the city limits of Talladega.
History
Bemiston was founded in 1927, as a mill town built around the Bemis Brot ...
Notes
{{Reflist
References
Bemis 2007 Annual Report and Form 10-K as of December 31, 2007Bemis Company, Inc. - 150th AnniversaryBemis To Acquire Alcan Packaging Food Americas
External links
Company homepage
*
Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Packaging companies of the United States
Manufacturing companies established in 1858
Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2019
Manufacturing companies based in Wisconsin
Winnebago County, Wisconsin
1858 establishments in Missouri
2019 disestablishments in Wisconsin
2019 mergers and acquisitions