Inver Grove Heights, MN. – October 23, 2024 – Manfred Bonetsmuller, the founder and
Managing Director of the SOMIC Group for decades, passed away on October 10, 2024
at the age of 83. His inventive spirit and personality shaped the company from Amerang
in Upper Bavaria for more than 40 years.
Mr. Bonetsmuller recognized the great opportunities of automation for food production
when he founded the company in 1974. He continuously developed new technical
innovations, and was quick to win customers from Germany and France with automated
stacking, portioning, and wrapping packaging machines for the cheese industry. His
willingness and know-how in response to individual customer requirements contributed
enormously to the company’s further growth.
In the early 1980’s, Bonetsmuller formed the decisive foundation for SOMIC’s continued
success by developing the first carton erector. SOMIC later offered complete packaging
lines for dairies and became one of the leading suppliers in this sector.
He opened new market segments when SOMIC developed a compact cartoning
machine that combined two systems. This meant that for the first time, products could be
collected, grouped and packaged in one machine. With this innovative technology, more
product shapes such as cups, tins, bags, folding cartons and others could be processed,
which enabled the company to expand into more sectors and countries.
The basic modular principle of SOMIC’s end-of-line packaging machines he developed
are still one of the keys to the company’s success today. It allows maximum output on
the smallest footprint and can be individually adapted to any packaging task.From simple tray packers and lid tray packers to complex wraparound packers, SOMIC
machines are now used in food, non-food and healthcare sectors. These are collected,
grouped and positioned on a carton blank according to the requirements of the
respective product. Once closed, these high-quality shelf-ready cartons offer optimal
protection of the product during transportation and ensure an attractive presentation at
retail.
With his inventive spirit and passion for always offering customers the best packaging
solution, Bonetsmuller grew SOMIC from a four person business to a globally active
mechanical engineering company. The company expanded to North America with
SOMIC Packaging, Inc. in 2014, and another production facility was added when SOMIC
Haag was acquired in 2019. Last December, subsidiary SOMIC Packaging Asia Pacific
Co. Ltd., opened in Thailand.
The packaging industry has lost an ingenious developer and inspiring visionary. The
SOMIC team intends to honor his life’s work and spirit by continuing to develop
groundbreaking packaging solutions that are “engineered to perform”. Private services
were held.
