Thomas Haglin, CEO and owner of Lindar Corp. in Baxter, Minn., is the 2019 Thermoformer of the Year. The Society of Plastics Engineers' Thermoforming Division announced the award on May 13.
Haglin is also CEO and owner of Avantech, a producer of tooling for rotational molding and thermoforming, which Lindar bought in 2012. He founded Lindar in 1993. Avantech also is in Baxter.
Today, Lindar employs 175 in a 165,000-square-foot plant. The company runs nine roll-fed thermoforming machines, eight sheet-fed formers, six CNC routers, four robotic routers, one label line and one extrusion line.
SPE will honor Haglin at an awards dinner Sept. 10 during the SPE Thermoforming Conference in Milwaukee, set for Sept. 9-11.
Thermoforming Division officials said Lindar has been a pioneer in packaging for single-serve cupcakes and desserts, tamper-evident two-piece pie and cake containers, bioplastic packaging and lenticular lenses for 3D-like packaging effects.