Thinking Outside the Plain Jane Box

Arkay Packaging, over the past 80-plus years, has become known for quality and innovation with folding carton manufacturing.

ARKAY PACKAGING IS a company on the cutting edge of the package printing industry. After 83 years of business, the folding carton printer continues to think outside the box, creating and producing unique packages for its customers.

The company began as a printing and label printshop by a Russian immigrant, Max Kaneff, in downtown New York. It has grown into a third-generation, family-owed industry leader, serving some of the largest and most respected names in the cosmetic, and health and beauty aid markets. From structural design to prepress to printing and finishing, Arkay has earned a reputation for producing value-added, innovative packaging solutions for its demanding customers.

Innovation is a way of life at Arkay and that can be chalked up to several additional factors. Most important is the company's hard-working 250 employees. In addition, Arkay has always been a leader on the edge of new technologies. And lastly, the company has focused on building solid partnerships with customers and suppliers willing to take on challenges, said Mitchell Kaneff, president of Arkay and the grandson of the company founder.

All four of those company attributes have led to proprietary technologies, such as Mica Pearls, which give packages a pearlescent appearance; and PermaWhite Stock, a white material that resists fading and yellowing. Sticking to its customer-focused philosophy, Arkay does anything it can to help further differentiate its customers' products on the crowded store shelves.

A customer-driven company

Arkay, headquartered in New York, has one manufacturing facility in Hauppauge, N.Y. and another in Roanoke, Va. The latter manufacturing plant was the recent subject of an $11 million expansion, which will bring 75 additional jobs to the Roanoke Valley.

Over the last year, Arkay has seen business grow in spite of a teetering economy. By giving customers "what they want, when they expect it, every time," Arkay has stayed at the forefront of the high-end folding carton business.