40th Anniversary of CMD Corporation

A History of Innovation and Expansion

Founded in 1980 by Peter Gietman, CMD was launched with his visionary idea for a type of equipment that would be in high demand in the growing flexible film and packaging industry; the rotary overlap bag winder.

First overlap bag winder

This unique technology allows bags wound on rolls to be dispensed one-at-a-time. Rolled bag production is more efficient, and the product is more sustainable to ship than folded product. By 1986 CMD moved into a new 45,500 sq. ft. facility in the NE Wisconsin Industrial Park.

CMD Campus Appleton WI

Today, the campus has expanded to 126,000 sq. ft. and includes a Technology Center, Advanced Engineering Analytics Lab, and a building dedicated to the firm’s natural gas for fuel equipment sector.

98 Patents and Counting

John Schmidt began at CMD in 1988 as the Vice-President of Strategic Sales and was named President in 1991. His passion for technological innovation and understanding customers’ needs helped grow CMD to a position of global leadership in the bag converting industry. Under his guidance, the firm developed world-leading, patented technology for the production of popular drawtape-style trash bags seen on store shelves today. In the U.S., an estimated 95% of all drawtape bags sold are made on CMD equipment. CMD taps into this technical passion and ingenuity to develop high-performance equipment for other industries, including pouchmaking equipment and natural gas for fuel (CNG/RNG) compression systems.

Our current president, Ricardo Abud, continues the work, vision and legacy of previous presidents, focusing on growth, diversification and community. In 2018, CMD launched a new, innovative pouch converting system, the 760-SUP, which delivers unique productivity, efficiency, quality and profitability to pouch manufacturers. CMD now participates in the growing renewable natural gas (RNG) segment with its compressor packages. The year 2019 was a financial record year for CMD after strong growth in 2018.

A Great Place to Work

Geitman’s support of his dedicated employees and Schmidt’s focus on customer support built the foundation for the firm’s culture of Listen, Learn and Lead.

An initiative to enhance the company culture began under Steve Sakai, who was CMD President from 2006 – 2017. Steve ushered in a “Customer Culture of Greatness” – or CCG, which was founded on the guiding principal of “Successful Customers and Fully Engaged Employees.” CCG training helps colleagues sharpen their skills with the pillars of CMD culture: respect, trust, dialogue, collaboration, innovation, growth, fulfillment, potential and quality.

Named among the Best Places to Work by Plastics News for 6 consecutive years, CMD’s commitment to work-life balance, health and wellness and a new corporate social responsibility program results in high employee satisfaction and low job turn-over.

Growing and Helping the Community

In 2019 CMD launched a Corporate Social Responsibility program to give back through volunteering in our communities. Through the firm’s events committee, internal activities raise funds for local charities such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and others. The “Holiday Give-Back” program organizes and encourages volunteering in the community. Recent recipients of CMD volunteer hours were St. Joseph’s Food Pantry, Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army Red Kettle Program. Forty-five CMD employees donated more than 150 hours through the Holiday Give-Back program in 2019.

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