Rich in History … There’s More to the Story of Douglas Machine Inc.

We’re excited to announce the launch of our blog, and to welcome all who are reading it! Our goal is to share information with you about the secondary packaging industry that aims to inform, educate and excite! We hope you join us as we share topics and trends relevant to the packaging industry. By sharing our insight and approach to the industry, we hope to help bring you one step closer to making secondary packaging decisions that are right for your business and ones that will deliver success.

Welcome to Douglas

What makes someone want to start a packaging company? How about $5 and a dream. It takes a lot of courage and a big dose of motivation to start a company with only a $5.00 sale. Bud Thoen did just that and founded Douglas Machine in 1964. Today Douglas has grown to over 600 employee owners. Working at Douglas is more than a job. It’s a career. We hope you stop by our blog regularly to learn about our rich history, learn about our industry and learn ways in which Douglas can do more for you.

Rich in History

Douglas was founded with a vision to invent and build exceptional automated packaging machinery. In 1966, Vern Anderson joined Bud. Later that year, the company sold its first machine to Curtis Candy Company for $6,476. From the very beginning, a deep appreciation for our customers’ ongoing trust has been the fuel that drives Douglas to be a great supplier. In the year 2000, Douglas became 100% employee owned, providing our employees with a vested interest in the company. Our growth and success are the result of our employees’ hard work and dedication to Bud’s vision of building innovative packaging machinery.

Mission and Values Add More to Our Story

Our employees are what makes our company strong. Douglas employees know they are valued and that they are vital in the success of the company. We have a strong mission and values that guide our company and employee owners.   Our mission is to enrich lives by providing differentiated packaging automation and services. We are able to do just that through our values. The core of our values is an abiding respect for biblically-based business principles. To us this means conducting business in a manner that is legal, ethical, moral and healthy to the faith-based spiritual life of every employee owner, customer, supplier and competitor. Our values are a testament to how we live our lives each work day.

• Unwavering Integrity: We refuse to compromise our ethics and high professional standards in order to achieve desired outcomes.
• Servant’s Heart: We possess a never-ending desire to serve and support others.
• Ownership Spirit: Our passion for employee ownership is demonstrated in everything we do.
• Continuous Innovation and Improvement: We challenge the status quo and strive for excellence in all our work.

We are dedicated to enriching the lives of our employee owners. Our outstanding team of employees care about each other, our customers and the community. At Douglas it’s not just what we do — it’s who we are.

Serving the Packaging Industry

For over 50 years, Douglas has built high-quality automated secondary packaging solutions for our customers. We are a global leader in providing solutions for corrugated, shrink film and paperboard materials. We specialize in the design and manufacture of case & tray packers, shrink wrap systems, cartoners, sleevers, multipackers and palletizers. Based in Alexandria, Minnesota, Douglas has installed more than 9,000 machines in over 30 countries. As a 100% employee-owned company, we are empowered to make decisions, take educated and calculated risks, and do what we feel is right to best serve our customers. Every day, we partner with our customers to be productive and save money through our continuous improvement solutions. We are driven each and every day to provide more solutions for our customers and for the industry. Douglas Technical Support provides unparalleled in-house, field technical support. Available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, our experienced technicians provide you with superior knowledge and quick, clear responsiveness.

Serving the Community

Douglas employee-owners are proud of our community and genuinely care about those who live within it. In looking for a way to give back and improve the quality of life in this community, Douglas created The Douglas Machine Foundation. This foundation utilizes the philanthropic resources of Douglas Machine for community needs. The Foundation’s mission is to provide financial support to non-profit organizations that focus on community improvement through United Way, social services, education and various faith-based initiatives. Douglas Machine’s Community Stewardship encompasses all aspects of its philanthropy including Foundation contributions, volunteerism and in-kind gifts

Caring for our Employees

Our employees matter … and so does their health. To provide quality care for our employees and their families, we established Douglas Health, our very own company clinic. Douglas Health is a clinic exclusive to Douglas Machine employees, spouses and dependent family members participating in their employee health plan or for employees that have elected clinic coverage through Douglas. The clinic enriches lives through health and wellness by offering a personal level of quality care, affordable services and convenience … all just for our employees! The greatest benefit to our employees and their families is that the trusted and professional healthcare experts at Douglas Health not only provide quality healthcare, they can offer their onsite services without the high price tag most people are experiencing today. A sampling of the services provided onsite, at no cost, are wellness and health maintenance, chronic care, simple acute care, lab testing, and prescription medication.

Employee Owners Caring for You

Pride of ownership is our way of ensuring that nobody works harder to give you more. Working with Douglas, you’ll experience an entire organization that’s committed to exceeding your expectations. In every aspect of your relationship with us, you will experience 100% commitment to a partnership that ensures your brand is represented with quality, integrity and pride. You’ll experience more friendly and responsive attitudes, more dedication to quality and craftsmanship, and more uncompromising customer support .You’ll quickly discover that nobody does it like Douglas. We invite you to check back in with us and read our blog on a regular basis. We want to partner with you, serve you and learn with you. Contact us today for all of your secondary packaging needs. At Douglas, we are Employee Owned. Customer Driven.