Packnet Ltd.

What Packnet Ltd. does

Packnet Ltd. was founded in 1987 in Burnsville, Minnesota as a custom industrial packaging manufacturer, specializing in wood crating, foam fabrication, corrugated plastic, and fiberboard packaging. It served regional customers across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, Rochester, MN, and Des Moines, IA markets across a broad set of industrial verticals, including building materials, agriculture, appliance, glass, horticulture, solar, steel and metal, technology and medical, equipment and transportation, outdoor structures, moving and storage, and warehouse logistics. The company was the originator of the proprietary Slot-Lock™ crate system, a registered industrial design that remains part of UFP Packaging's product line.

The business operated on a direct, quote-based B2B sales model with one-time product sales recognized at delivery under multi-year supply arrangements, with pricing determined per project against customer-specific requirements. Distribution was direct from the single Burnsville manufacturing facility (14400 Southcross Dr W, Burnsville, MN 55306) to enterprise customers in the Upper Midwest, with 101–250 employees supporting custom fabrication and packaging engineering.

In 2014, after roughly three decades of independent operation, Packnet was acquired by UFP Packaging, a subsidiary of UFP Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: UFPI). Following the transaction, Packnet Ltd. ceased to operate as an independent legal entity and its operations, IP, and customer relationships were integrated into UFP Packaging, where the Burnsville facility now offers an expanded catalog spanning wood packaging (pallets, crates, custom-cut lumber, dunnage, reels/spools, skids), protective packaging (corrugated boxes, films, labels, foam fabrication, point-of-purchase displays), and metal packaging (steel crates/racks, steel reels/spools, metal fabrication).

Name

Packnet Ltd.

Legal name

Packnet Ltd.

Website

https://packnetltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Packnet Ltd., founded 1987 in Burnsville, MN and acquired by UFP Packaging in 2014, manufactures custom industrial packaging — wood crating, foam fabrication, and corrugated plastic/fiberboard — for building materials, agriculture, glass, solar, and other verticals across the Upper Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Packaging Manufacturing

NAICS

Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturing (322211), Other Paperboard Container Manufacturing (322219), Paperboard Container Manufacturing (32221)

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

Material Handling Protective Accessories (Slip Sheets, Corner Boards, Pallet Collars) (IMALAFAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corrugated Packaging & Boxes (RSC, die-cut, bulk bins) (IMAMAHAA), Solid Fiber & Chipboard Packaging (Set-Up/Rigid Paperboard Boxes) (IMALACAC)

Keywords

• Custom industrial packaging
• Wood crating solutions
• Foam fabrication services
• Corrugated packaging manufacturing
• Custom shipping pallets

Headquarters

HQ city

Eagan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Industrial Packaging Products: Packnet Ltd. generated revenue through the manufacture and sale of custom industrial packaging solutions including wood crating, foam fabrication, corrugated plastic, and fiberboard packaging. Revenue was generated through one-time product sales to customers requiring custom packaging solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Packnet Ltd. designs, engineers, and manufactures custom and industrial packaging products from its Burnsville, MN facility. The company's core offerings include custom wood crating, foam fabrication, corrugated plastic and fiberboard packaging, pallets, dunnage, reels and spools, custom cut lumber, skids, steel crates and racks, metal fabrication, films, and labels. Packnet invented the proprietary Slot-Lock™ crate system, a unique crating solution that continues to be sold by UFP Packaging.

Product overview

Packnet Ltd., now operating as UFP Packaging Burnsville, MN, is a custom industrial packaging solutions provider offering three primary product categories: Wood Packaging (pallets, crates, custom cut lumber, dunnage, reels/spools, and the proprietary Slot-Lock™ crate system invented by Packnet), Protective Packaging (corrugated boxes, corrugated plastic, films, labels, foam fabrication, and point of purchase displays), and Metal Packaging (steel crates/racks, steel reels/spools, and metal fabrication). Founded in 1987, the company specializes in custom wood crating, foam fabrication, and corrugated plastic & fiberboard packaging serving multiple industries including building materials, glass, horticulture, agriculture, appliance, and more.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pallets Wooden pallets manufactured for industrial shipping and storage applications, serving manufacturers and logistics operators across multiple industries.
• Crates and Boxes Custom wood crating solutions designed to protect industrial equipment and goods during transport, manufactured to customer-specific requirements.
• Custom Cut Lumber Dimensionally cut lumber cut to specific measurements for use in custom industrial packaging applications.
• Dunnage Protective material manufactured to cushion and secure products within packaging containers during shipping and storage.
• Reels and Spools Wooden reels and spools manufactured for winding and transporting cable, wire, and similar industrial materials.
• Corrugated Boxes Corrugated fiberboard packaging boxes manufactured for protective packaging needs across multiple industries.
• Corrugated Plastic Corrugated plastic board packaging solutions manufactured for industrial protective packaging applications.
• Films Plastic stretch films for wrapping and securing palletized loads during storage and transportation.
• Labels Custom labels manufactured for industrial packaging identification and tracking purposes.
• Foam Fabrication Custom foam fabrication services for protective cushioning in industrial packaging, designed to customer specifications.
• Point of Purchase Displays Retail point-of-purchase display packaging solutions manufactured for retail merchandising applications.
• Steel Crates and Racks Heavy-duty steel crates and racks manufactured for industrial metal packaging applications.
• Steel Reels and Spools Steel reels and spools manufactured for winding and transporting cable, wire, and similar industrial materials.
• Metal Fabrication Custom metal parts fabrication services for industrial packaging solutions.
• Skids Specialty wooden skids manufactured for industrial shipping and storage applications.
• Slot-Lock™ Crate System Proprietary crating solution invented by Packnet Ltd., featuring a unique slot-lock design for industrial packaging applications. UFP Packaging continues to sell this product following the acquisition.

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• PalletOne: One of North America's largest manufacturers of new and recycled wood pallets, skids, and crates. Directly comparable to Packnet's wood packaging product line (pallets, crates, custom cut lumber, dunnage) for industrial customers.
• Menasha Packaging: Custom protective and retail packaging manufacturer offering corrugated, foam fabrication, and POP displays — a near-direct match to Packnet's protective packaging family and vertical-industry orientation.
• Pregis: Protective packaging manufacturer offering foam fabrication, films, and custom cushioning solutions — a close functional match to Packnet's foam fabrication and protective film product categories.
• Millwood Inc. Provider of new and recycled pallets, custom wood packaging, and material-handling solutions across the U.S. Closely overlaps Packnet's core wood crating and pallet offerings for industrial and logistics customers.

Broad incumbents

• UFP Industries: Public parent company (NASDAQ: UFPI) that acquired Packnet in 2014. Operates a broad portfolio of wood, protective, and metal packaging, serving as both parent and a broad-based peer/incumbent in industrial packaging.
• Greif Inc. Global industrial packaging producer of steel, plastic, fibre, and corrugated containers. Directly comparable to Packnet's steel crates/racks and corrugated boxes business, with broader geographic and product coverage.
• Smurfit Kappa: Global paper-based packaging leader in corrugated containers and protective packaging. Overlaps Packnet's corrugated boxes and protective packaging line, though at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Sonoco Products: Diversified global packaging manufacturer serving industrial, consumer, and protective end markets. Comparable to Packnet's diversified mix of wood, protective, and metal packaging, but with much broader scale.
• Packaging Corporation of America: Large U.S. producer of containerboard and corrugated products. Overlaps the corrugated/fiberboard portion of Packnet's protective packaging business.

Emerging players

• Goplasticpallet: European-headquartered manufacturer of plastic pallets and protective material-handling solutions. Adjacent to Packnet's wood pallet and corrugated plastic product lines, representing a newer-material alternative in the same end use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/packnetltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Packnet Ltd.