Massman Automation Designs

Massman Automation Designs

Burl Massman founded the company in 1978 in Villard, Minnesota. The firm began as a single-machine builder and expanded into a multi-brand automated packaging equipment group. Wealth originates from the operating company Massman Automation Designs, which manufactures case packers, cartoners, palletizers, and pouch fillers for industries including food, beverage, dairy, protein, and pharmaceuticals (per the firm). Massman Automation Designs controls the full production process in-house—from raw materials through machine shop, welding, fabrication, assembly, and quality control. The company serves a global customer base with machines installed worldwide. The firm offers single machines or complete end-of-line solutions, supporting equipment from its own brands as well as sister brands under Massman Companies: EDL, Ideal Pase, DTM Packaging, New England Machinery, and ADCO Manufacturing. The family office operates through Massman Companies, which coordinates the multi-brand packaging equipment group and likely manages real estate and other adjacent investments. In 2024, the firm opened a second facility in Alexandria, Minnesota, to accommodate growth. The company is headquartered in Villard and employs professionals in design, engineering, and service roles. The operating company structure—where the family office owns and manages a portfolio of manufacturing brands—differentiates this firm from a purely financial family office. The family retains direct operational control and reinvests cash flow from the equipment business into facility expansions, new product lines, and potential industrial real estate.