Clear Concept Innovations

What Clear Concept Innovations does

Clear Concept Innovations, Inc. is a privately held U.S. contract manufacturer of custom printed and thermoformed packaging, founded in 1996 by Howard Kolpas and headquartered in a 100,000 square foot facility in Gurnee, Illinois. The company designs and produces clamshell packaging, heat-sealed blister cards, proprietary self-sealing cohesive blister packaging, thermoformed trays, folding cartons, corrugated boxes, and cardboard floor displays. Its most differentiated product is a self-sealing cohesive blister that uses a chemical-reactive bonding process to reduce thermoformed package footprint by at least 50% without conventional heat-sealing equipment. Manufacturing is supported by in-house mold making, die making, robotic CNC tooling, rapid prototyping, and vacuum forming capabilities.

The company operates a direct-sales, quote-based business model targeting enterprise and mid-market customers across diverse verticals including consumer/retail, medical, dental, electronics, industrial, health and beauty, software, publishing, and church/religious organizations. Named customers include Precision Twist Drill, Outland Engineering, Hu-Friedy, Infinium Software, Sounds True Publishing, InfoUSA, and NTC/Contemporary Publishing. Revenue is generated through one-time custom product sales bundled with optional design, engineering, prototyping, and pick-and-pack fulfillment services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined per quote based on specifications and volume.

The business is bootstrapped with no institutional funding rounds, no M&A activity, no disclosed subsidiaries, and no public partnerships. Go-to-market relies on the company website, quote request forms, and direct customer relationships maintained personally by the founder. Geographic scope is domestic (United States), with a single manufacturing and distribution site serving as the entire operational footprint. The company employs 75+ people across manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution functions and markets itself as an integrated one-stop shop from concept to fulfillment.

Name

Clear Concept Innovations

Legal name

Clear Concept Innovations, Inc.

Website

https://clearconceptinnovations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clear Concept Innovations is a privately held U.S. manufacturer founded in 1996, producing custom thermoformed and flexible vinyl packaging — clamshells, blister packs, thermoformed trays, folding cartons, and corrugated boxes — for consumer/retail, medical, electronics, industrial, and publishing customers from its 100,000 sq ft Gurnee, Illinois facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Packaging Manufacturing

NAICS

Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing (322212), Packaging and Labeling Services (56191), Plastics Bag and Pouch Manufacturing (326111)

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

Plastic Trays, Clamshells & Blister Packaging Manufacturing (IMANAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Thermoformed Packaging (Food, Beverage & Consumer Goods) (IMANAHAA), Paper-Based Packaging & Single-Use Paper Products (Paper Bags, Wraps, Cartons) (CRADALAL), Primary Packaging (Form-Fill-Seal, Blister, Sachet/Stick Pack, Bottling) (TLAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Thermoformed packaging
• Custom blister packaging
• Clamshell packaging
• Corrugated packaging
• Flexible vinyl packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurnee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Packaging Manufacturing: Manufacture and sale of custom printed and thermoformed packaging including clamshells, thermoformed trays, corrugated boxes, folding cartons, and flexible vinyl packaging. One-time product sales based on customer specifications and quantities.
2. Fulfillment and Distribution Services: Pick & Pack and distribution services including order fulfillment, inventory storage, and transportation management. Combines logistics services with packaging manufacturing.
3. Design and Engineering Services: Structural engineering, packaging design, and prototype development services. Includes CAD design, artwork, testing, and production preparation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clear Concept Innovations manufactures and supplies custom printed and thermoformed packaging products for consumer, retail, medical, electronics, industrial, and health and beauty markets. Core offerings include clamshell packaging, blister packaging, self-sealing cohesive blister packaging, thermoformed trays, folding cartons, corrugated boxes, and floor displays, supported by in-house design, prototyping, mold and die making, robotic CNC tooling, and pick & pack fulfillment services.

Product overview

Clear Concept Innovations is a packaging manufacturing company offering a portfolio of thermoformed, flexible vinyl, and paperboard packaging solutions. The core product line includes Clamshell Packaging, Blister Packaging, Self-Sealing Cohesive Blister Packaging, Thermoformed Trays, Folding Cartons, Corrugated Packaging, Floor Displays, and Church Packaging Products. These products are complemented by services including plastic engineering and design, prototype development, mold making, in-house die making, robotic CNC tooling, pick & pack and distribution, and assembly and fulfillment services. The company operates a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Gurnee, Illinois, serving consumer, retail, medical, electronics, and industrial markets since 1996.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clamshell Packaging Thermoformed packaging usually fabricated from PVC or similar clear materials, featuring friction lock design or heat-sealed tamper-evident seals. Supports product insertion and fulfillment services and can merge two products into one promotional unit. Used across consumer, retail, medical, electronics, and industrial applications.
• Blister Packaging Heat-sealed blister carded packaging produced using semi-automatic rotary type sealers for medium to high volume production. Includes conventional carded blisters, full face blisters, and half clamshell styles with tamper-evident sealing. Used for retail product merchandising across multiple industries.
• Self-Sealing Cohesive Blister Packaging Environmentally friendly packaging that eliminates sealing equipment requirements, reducing thermoformed package footprint by at least 50% while maintaining structural integrity and durability. Uses a proprietary chemical reactive bonding process where cards bond to each other, combining die-cut cards and blister domes for tamper-evident assembly.
• Thermoformed Trays Thermoformed trays for product storage, suitable for sliding into SBS or folding type boxes. Available in white, black, and clear PVC materials, including antistatic options for protecting sensitive electronic instruments. Used in electronics, games, medical, industrial, and repeat use packaging applications.
• Folding Cartons Versatile, customizable paperboard packages manufactured from high-quality paperboard, delivered flat for easy assembly. Supports premium graphics, specialty finishes, and custom die-cut shapes. Suitable for food, beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods industries.
• Corrugated Packaging Premium corrugated boxes engineered for protection, sustainability, and standout presentation. Includes standard shipping boxes, custom mailers, die-cut designs, heavy-duty multi-wall options, custom inserts, retail-ready formats, and e-commerce packaging. Supports flexographic and digital printing with recyclable materials and recycled content.
• Floor Displays Cardboard floor displays for retail environments, lightweight and easy to assemble with full-color printing customization. Ideal for seasonal promotions, product launches, pop-up shops, and branded merchandising. Features multiple tiers, open bins, angled shelves, or tall vertical arrangements.
• Church Packaging Products Packaging solutions designed for church worship services, ministries, and community events to support smooth operations and promotional materials.
• Design and Engineering Services Structural engineering, packaging design, and prototype development services including CAD design, artwork, testing, and production preparation for customers needing strong, efficient, cost-optimized packaging.
• Pick & Pack and Distribution Services Order fulfillment, inventory storage, and transportation management services combining logistics with packaging manufacturing. Includes stock status reporting, assembly, and fulfillment for customers requiring integrated supply chain support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced thermoformed package footprint by at least 50% with self-sealing cohesive blister packaging
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sealed Air Corporation: Sealed Air produces protective and food packaging, including thermoformed trays and clamshell formats (e.g., Cryovac, Diversey-adjacent lines). Competes with Clear Concept in thermoformed protective and consumer packaging categories but at vastly larger scale.
• Sonoco Products Company: Sonoco is a global diversified packaging manufacturer with rigid plastic, paperboard, and protective packaging operations that include clamshells, thermoformed trays, and folding cartons — overlapping much of Clear Concept's product breadth at much greater scale.
• Pactiv Evergreen: Pactiv Evergreen is a major plastics and packaging manufacturer with broad thermoformed product and food-service packaging lines. Overlaps Clear Concept's thermoformed clamshell and tray categories but at a far larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Tray-Pak Corporation: Tray-Pak is a custom thermoformed packaging manufacturer serving food, medical, electronics, and industrial markets with trays, clamshells, and blister-style components. Closely comparable specialty converter profile to Clear Concept Innovations.
• Placon Corporation: Placon is a US thermoformed and rigid plastic packaging manufacturer producing clamshells, blister packs, and custom trays across consumer, medical, and food markets. Highly comparable product mix, customer base, and manufacturing approach to Clear Concept Innovations.
• Dordan Manufacturing: Dordan Manufacturing is a custom thermoformed plastic packaging producer known for blister clamshells and sustainable thermoform initiatives (including PLA-based options). Direct product overlap and similar mid-market custom converter profile.
• Indepak: Indepak is a custom thermoformed packaging and blister pack manufacturer serving medical, food, electronics, and consumer goods customers. Comparable thermoform/blister product mix and similar mid-sized custom converter profile.
• Prent Corporation: Prent is a custom thermoformer specializing in blister packaging, clamshells, and medical/electronics trays. Operates similarly in design-engineering-to-manufacturing custom thermoformed packaging for medical, electronic, and consumer markets.
• Display Pack: Display Pack produces custom thermoformed clamshells, blister packaging, and printed folding cartons with in-house tooling, closely mirroring Clear Concept's integrated design-to-fulfillment model.
• Form Plastics: Form Plastics is a custom thermoformed packaging manufacturer offering clamshells, trays, and blister components across industrial, medical, and consumer markets. Similar mid-market custom thermoformer profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Clear Concept Innovations