HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- Sonoco held the Grand Opening of its state-of-the-art iPS Studio, hosting more than 100 guests including state officials, customers and community leaders.

The iPS Studio is a leading-edge research, development and innovation center that connects consumer and market insights to the invention of new packaging solutions, all under one roof.

Sonoco invested $12 million to build the new Innovative Packaging Solutions research and development studio at its Hartsville, S.C. headquarters.

Key features of the iPS Studio include a Consumer Interaction space enabling live, direct observation of consumers interacting with products and packaging in areas including retail, kitchen, living and bathroom environments; collaborative spaces where experts can interact with the latest technologies to turn ideas into packaging concepts; technology for the development of structural design and manufacturing options that access potential for commercialization; a pilot plant to test manufacturing performance, state-of-the-art printing capability and rapid prototyping labs that aid in developing engineered prototypes that can then be tested in real world simulation spaces.