Hammer Packaging, formerly Hammer Lithograph, will invest $5.85 million to expand its local printing operations at its facility on Lucius Gordon Drive in Henrietta, N.Y. Hammer Packaging Corp., a privately held printing operation specializing in label and packaging work for consumer products, was founded in Rochester in 1912.

In 1970, the company relocated from Exchange Street to a 43,000 sq. ft. building in Metro Park, an industrial park in the Town of Brighton. In 1999, Hammer expanded into a 92,000 square foot high-tech manufacturing facility adjacent to Rochester Institute of Technology. It recently consolidated its finishing operations into a 56,000 square foot space at the Rochester Technology Park. Sales have risen nearly 50 percent in the last three years, from $49.5 million in 2003 to $73.9 million last year.

Today, the company employs 360 people in Monroe County and that number is expected to increase to 400 by year’s end.

Innovation, continuous training and reinvestment in state-of-the-art technology are part of Hammer’s strategy to remain competitive in the packaging printing industry. While some of its competitors have chosen to downsize to boost productivity, Hammer reinvests 10 percent of revenues annually in equipment upgrades, training, and research and development. In the fourth quarter of 2006 Hammer will install new press technology, based in part on New York’s offer of incentives, that is the first of its kind in the packaging printing market as part of its nearly $6 million investment overall.

“We are committed to growing our business right here in Rochester, New York,” said James E. Hammer, President and CEO of Hammer Packaging. “Incentives provided us by Empire State Development enable the acquisition of new equipment and technology that is critical to the long-term growth of our packaging printing operation. We will continue to focus our efforts on developing and maintaining a strong workforce in upstate New York and we would like to thank Governor Pataki and his team at Empire State Development for their help.”

In consideration of its commitment to New York State, Hammer Packaging Corp. is eligible to apply to Empire State Development for a capital grant of up to $125,000 to be used to offset expenses associated with this project.

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