About Us / History
A Long History of Looking Ahead
We look to the future of manufacturing to discover opportunities for our customers to increase their profitability starting right now.
Arnold’s Factory Supplies began in Baltimore in 1933 as a manufacturer of adhesives and inks used for packaging applications. After over 85 years, we have become the most comprehensive company in our industry. We can serve our customers with something as basic as bubble wrap or as complex as a custom-programmed robot. In between the two extremes, we perform process analysis, design and manufacture shipping containers, and support inventory management.
From Adhesives to Automation in Four Generations
In the mid-1950s, we invested in the machinery and equipment to manufacture wood and corrugated shipping containers to serve manufacturers of all types in the Mid-Atlantic. Our relationships with manufacturers like Northrop Grumman, General Electric and Bethlehem Steel propelled us to the forefront of Baltimore packaging companies. Now we serve Saks Fifth Avenue, the U.S. Army, Lenox and some of the most recognizable brands in the United States.
In 1962, we partnered with the 3M Company to distribute the highest quality packaging materials available. Since then, we have partnered with other premier global manufacturers, including Signode in 1986 and Sealed Air in 1987, and then Pregis, Wulftec and Autobag later on.
Arnold’s Factory Supplies acquired the packaging division of Virginia-based Joe Ragan’s Coffee and Office Products in April 2011. This solidified our company’s position in the regional market.
We Begin to Expand Geographically
Our company began to expand into other geographic markets in 2012, when Saks Fifth Avenue moved its distribution center from Maryland to Tennessee and continued its relationship with our company as a supplier of internal packaging and other materials to support their ecommerce business. It was the start of our expansion, now serving Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Toronto.
Mick Arnold, today’s company president, made a bold move in 2015 when he initiated a rebranding of the company, including a name change: Arnold Packaging. A new name, logo and design for the company’s fleet of trucks better represented its products and services.
We Reach 30 Years and Dive Into Automation
In 2017, we launched our first break-out division: Arnold Automation. For more than 30 years, the company has been providing customers with machines for box assembly, box sealing and labeling, along with other equipment for automated shrink wrapping, stretch wrapping and strapping. But times had changed. We saw an increasing demand for automation. We knew that pulling together a division of experts with a focus on automation could support our customers in improving productivity.
We strengthened the new division later that year through an exclusive agreement with Ready Robotics to offer that company’s TaskMate robot to our own customers, including Black & Decker, Coty and DAP. With the robot’s mobility, ease of programming and ability to switch out tooling quickly, the TaskMate is redefining the manufacturing process.
Today: 80,000 ft2 and $1.3 Million in Inventory
Today with an 80,000 square-foot facility holding more than $1.3 million in inventory, Arnold Packaging can provide customers with next-day delivery, custom inventory and vendor-managed inventory as often as needed. When you combine that with our ability to produce custom shipping containers and the expertise to revolutionize packaging processes through automation, Arnold Packaging can fulfill any packaging need.
