EAGAN, MINN. — SOMIC Packaging, Inc., a packaging machinery supplier based in Eagan, Minn., has promoted Peter Fox to chief executive officer of the company from his previous role as senior vice president of sales. The parent company of SOMIC Packaging is based in Amerang, Germany. Fox will now lead the company’s US operations.

Fox first joined SOMIC Packaging in 2014, during which time the company has expanded into several new markets and introduced a variety of equipment solutions for a wide range of industries.

“Peter will be driving the evolution of our organization to support our long-term ambitions for continued growth in the United States,” said Patrick Bonetsmüller, president of Amerang, Germany, based SOMIC. “His leadership and customer centricity has led him to steadily grow our business. Peter has built a track record of strong relationships by adopting a voice of customer mindset. Combined with his entrepreneurial approach, this has helped our employees to unleash their potential, grow their knowledge and enjoy overcoming challenges together. We wish him great success in his new mission.”

According to the company, Fox was integral to SOMIC Packaging’s leadership in two-piece, retail-ready packaging equipment, which was facilitated by a move from Chicago to Minneapolis that tripled the company’s space for warehousing and larger spare parts. The move also facilitated the growth of SOMIC Packaging’s workforce and customer service support.

Today, the company is able to run Factory Acceptance Tests on all new machinery at its state-of-the-art production showroom in Minneapolis.

“We have come a long way in a relatively short period of time and we still have a lot of work to do. But I like how we are positioned in the market for future success,” Fox said. “SOMIC has since become a strong player in the broader US packaged food market. We have expanded our brand with installations in various industries, including cheese, confections, the coffee cartoning business and meat snacks. The fundamental driver for this growth is our machines have the flexibility to adapt to the unique needs of our customers. Our experience in Europe with retail-ready tray and hood designs has given us a tremendous advantage over our US competitors. I’m looking forward to reaching the new level.”

Fox started his career in the packaging industry with Kraft Foods and The Pillsbury Company. From there, he transitioned to a sales position with Delkor Systems, then served as vice president of business development with Interpress Technologies, another food packaging company.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.