A. N. – The A to Z of packaging

By Iris Sa'ar

Shimshon and Levana Shmuel welcomed me in A. N. Packaging Acre offices with modesty and kindliness. Though had been notified in advanced, they still were surprised about being the subject of a reportage. When the meeting was finished, I told them they deserved more than one reportage for the amazing progress they achieved in the last decade.
We had a cup of coffee, they were telling their story and I was listening. A request for a little history was positively responded. Packaging had been in sight of Shimshon already when had served in the desired 8200 army unit. The seed had then been sown and germinated during his three years in Elscint, where he had started his career as a packaging expert. In the following years, like a medicine trainee, he passed through all packaging stations in the Keren plant – deburring, drilling, punching and programming. He was one of the founders of the packaging department in the Dayan Industries painting plant, and then he was ready to establish his own business with his wife, Levana and with another partner. The big change occurred in 2005 when they founded an independent depot in a wide leased construction with the full support and encouragement of Levana ("these are always the women..."). "We were four at the beginning with a handful of customers," Shinshon recalls nostalgically smiling "and today we are about 40 employees, working 24/7 delivering state of the art electronic packages to customers all over the country, encompassing a variety of industries including medical, military, communication and fibre optics. A. N. became renowned for their high level of quality and service, and the plant has rightfully earned its current position, which is a subcontractor of the leading hi-tech companies in Israel, developing and producing metal machining products under the ISO 200 – 9001 standard and providing technical consultation, together with engineering and technological solutions, from concept to finished products. The spry activity impresses even a layman like me: cases are produced, electronic packaging is designed and manufactured, machining, wet dyeing, powdered painting, screen printing, mechanical construction of assemblies, production of a variety of items from an assortment of material types, chassis construction, etc.
This tune can only be harmonised with advanced and diversified capabilities of laser cutting, use of CNC machines for bending and milling, advanced machines and other devices for the insertion of fasteners, for lathing, finishing, welding and polishing.

And this is how we are connected to Elbe: A. N. Packaging is escorted by Elbe from the day it was founded, starting with the service response and followed by selling machines. "I had affixed the first Mezuzah of the plant with Shuki Kadosh from Elbe" said Shimshon, "who later introduced us to Mark, which beside being a professional, he is also a wonderful, kind and reliable friend". The TRUMPF Laser machine was setup by Elbe technicians who maintain it until today. Our first machine - HAEGER – which is used to insert fasteners, was purchased from Elbe, and so are the two milling machines, which we acquired last year." Levana and Shimshon told me proudly about a snapshot auditing machine ordered from Elbe, which takes a snapshot of the product in every step and compares it to a model. This machine is the first of its type in Israel, they say.
"Elbe means excellent winning service'" they both conclude. "The company maintains exceptional interpersonal communication, which provides a family like feeling. These are professionals whose machines, consultation, training, service and their good attitude - all worth any investment. They have no competition."
After some minutes of small talk, I closed my laptop, not before I said goodbye to the kind couple and wished them to fulfil all their dreams – to be able to purchase their own building with a production hall and to keep growing. With their current record - the chances are more than good. A. N. Packaging – they deserve a big like!