When Performance Matters – Innovating Automation with JLS: CGA Law Firm
From Just Born PEEPS to packaged salads, IQF (individually quick frozen) products to cuts of meat, you’ve likely sampled a taste of JLS Automation’s work. Customer-centric and collaborative, JLS of York, Pennsylvania, has created a legacy of solving complex packaging challenges in the food industry. Its innovations with hygienic robotic packaging solutions for the food industry have allowed businesses to maintain the strictest standards of food safety while maximizing worker safety and production efficiency.
Founded in 1955 by Joseph L. Souser, the company began as a manufacturers’ representative firm that operated with power transmission equipment. In 1993, JLS entered the packaging automation industry in response to a demand from food processors seeking solutions for retrofitting and upgrading automation equipment.
For more than two decades, JLS has engineered custom vision-guided primary and secondary robotic packaging systems that optimize product handling, case packing, and cartoning for its food service industry clients.
“Robotics are at the heart of our equipment offerings,” says Craig Souser, President and CEO of JLS. Working with more than 100 clients in the food production industry, JLS has a multinational and local reach, serving companies such as Wolfgang Confectioners (see page 24) in York and Just Born Quality Confections of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Supporting the growth of JLS, CGA Law Firm has assisted in legal capacities ranging from contract negotiations to human resources. “As a company, we went from about seven people to 70 people,” Souser says, “and CGA Law Firm has helped us through this growth. They’re well-known and well-respected.”
The culture of JLS fuels its innovation and customer service focus. With an eye toward the future, JLS continues to partner with local schools and host interns from York College, Penn State, and Millersville. Additionally, JLS supports programs such as “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” that gets young people interested in technology and manufacturing careers.
Souser adds, “We believe in investing in our people to make them better at what they do so that they can realize their dreams and ambitions.”
—
We believe in investing in our people to make them better at what they do so that they can realize their dreams and ambitions
– President & CEO Craig Souser
YRK Perspectives
How has the York community supported the growth of your small business?
“I’ve had opportunities to connect with executives and small business leaders through networking in the community. MANTEC and The Manufacturers’ Association (in York) are additional resources we consult with often, and they help us develop strategies and make connections.” — Craig Souser, President & CEO, JLS
- 135 N. GEORGE ST. YORK, PA 17401
- 717.848.4900