BoardConverting Serving the North American Corrugated and Folding Carton Industries for 39 years March 27, 2023 VOL. 39, NO. 13
Make It Your Mission To Deliver Always Great Customer Service BY KATE ZABRISKIE “They’re hit or miss. Sometimes the service is marvelous. Other times it’s simply meh. I’m afraid to recommend the place because I can’t trust them to deliver.” “Maybe I’m just boring, but I don’t like surprises. They’re great one day and disappointing the next. I don’t need to be delighted. I just need what I need when I need it.”
WestRock Breaks Ground On New Plant In SW Washington Atlanta, Georgia based WestRock an- nounced the groundbreaking of its new 410,000-square-foot corrugated box plant in Longview, Washington. Located just outside of the Vancouver, Washington metropolitan area, this marks the first collaboration be- tween Clayco, a full-service, turnkey real es- tate, architecture, engineering, design-build and construction firm, and WestRock. Developed by JB2 Partners and owned by an investment fund managed by ElmTree Funds, the new building will host a WestRock corrugated manufacturing operation, which will create approximately 40 jobs when pro- duction begins in the fall of 2023. Situated on 23.5 acres, the single-story, concrete tilt-up manufacturing facility will have a clearance height of 44 feet. “At Clayco, we take pride in our respon- sibility to help clients bring goods closer to consumers and their communities faster and more efficiently,” said Anthony Johnson, pres- ident of Clayco’s Industrial Business Unit. “Along these lines, we are excited that Elm- Tree Funds engaged Clayco and JB2 to help WestRock promote safety and quality.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
“What can I say, except every experience is an adventure with those people. I go there because it’s close. I’m not loyal; I’m local. If another option pops up, I’ll probably make a switch." Many businesses talk about giving exceptional service when they’ve yet to master the fundamentals of a reliable and repeatable experi- ence. They look for opportunities to dazzle when they should first focus on the basics and work toward mastering consistently good. For too many organizations, there is a misplaced priority on occa- sionally amazing instead of consistently good. Subsequently, reputa- tions suffer, customers are less loyal, and employees less capable of delivering on what’s promised. Is that to say that exceptional shouldn’t be a goal? Of course not. However, it’s hard to run before you can walk, and some places occa- sionally stumble or have difficulty putting one foot in front of the other. Repeatable and reliable good service pays off more often than not for most organizations. CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
WHAT’S INSIDE
6 x x 8 x x 12 x x 26 x x 4 New Topics, Speakers Added For AICC Packaging Xperience 6 Legacy Of UPB's Paul Keyser Hailed By The industry The Verdict Is In: AI Will Kill Competition 18 Coastal Container Announces New Hires At Expanded Facility
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WestRock Breaks Ground (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
AVERAGE CONTAINERBOARD PRICES The average prices reported are tabulated from prices PAID by various sources throughout the United States the week previous to issue. Prices in some areas of the country may be higher or lower than the tabulated average. The prices tabulated here are intended only for purposes of reference. They do not connote any commitment to sell any material at the indicated average. Transactions may be completed at any time at a price agreed upon by seller and purchaser.
“This new packaging plant will enable our team in the region to serve customers even better in the future, with a manufacturing facility that will provide new capabilities and efficiencies,” said David B. Sewell, chief executive offi- cer of WestRock. “We are pleased to invest in a local com- munity that is vibrant and growing.” “The Cowlitz Economic Development Council is proud to have been a part of assisting WestRock with this inno- vative expansion,” said Ted Sprague, president, Cowlick County Economic Development Council. “The increase in jobs and new capital investment will serve our community and region well into the future.” An investment fund managed by ElmTree Funds, a real estate private equity firm headquartered in St. Louis, Mis- souri, is the owner of the project. ElmTree Funds engaged JB2 Partners to act as developer and Clayco to act as gen- eral contractor to consolidate and expand the mill opera- tions in Longview. “We are thrilled to continue building on our partnership with WestRock through this high-visibility project,” said Bri- an Boehm, a Managing Director for ElmTree Funds. “The ElmTree team, along with our developer, JB2, and our gen- eral contractor, Clayco, took a thoughtful, solutions-driven approach to deliver at cost and in scope. We're eager to see this project come to fruition.” Visit www.westrock.com for more information.
REGION E. Coast Midwest Southeast Southwest
42# Kraft liner $ 9 55.00-960.00 $ 9 70.00-980.00 $ 9 70.00-980.00 $ 970.00-980.00 $ 1000.00-1 010.00 $ 9 73.00-983.00
26# Semi-Chem. Medium
Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del.
$ 890 .00-9 4 0.00 $9 0 5.00-9 2 5.00 $9 0 5.00-9 2 5.00 $9 0 5.00-9 2 5.00 $9 2 5.00-9 4 5.00 $9 0 8.00-9 2 8.00
West Coast U.S. Average
SHEET PRICES BY REGION (AVERAGE) Per 1MSF, local delivery included, 50MSF single item order, truckload delivery. Sheets
E. Coast Midwest South-SW S. CA N.CA/WA-OR US Aver.
200# 275#
$62.26
$72.05
$62.69 $82.80
$85.35 119.54
$73.13 101.29
97.32
99.89
90.86
113.65
OYSTER UP-CHARGE 8.34
8.34
8.34
8.34
8.34
8.34
275# DBL-WALL 350# DBL-WALL
107.46 118.45
114.69 129.32
116.54 137.25 117.82 145.56
141.08 148.46
122.76 131.80
CANADIAN SHEET PRICES (AVERAGE) In Canadian Dollars, per 1MSF, local delivery included, under 50MSF single item order, truckload delivery. 200# 275# Oyster UC 275#DW 350#DW $78.56 $99.18 $9.00 $96.32 $105.83 CANADIAN LINERBOARD & MEDIUM The average prices reported are tabulated from prices PAID by various sources throughout Canada. Prices may be higher or lower in various areas of the country. The prices tabulated here are intended only for purposes of reference. They do not connote any commitment to sell any material at the indicated average. Transactions may be completed at any time at a price agreed upon by seller and purchaser. Prices are Canadian $ and per metric ton.
42# Kraft Liner 26#
Semi-Chem Medium
East West
$9 2 0.00 $ 96 5.00
$9 1 0.00 $9 4 5.00
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March 27, 2023
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New Topics, Speakers Announced For AICC Packaging Xperience AICC, the Independent Packaging Association, will bring manufacturers together for the ultimate Packaging Xperi- ence on May 22-24 in Chicago, Illinois. The event will fea- ture a variety of inspirational speakers on topics designed to help industry leaders stay ahead of the curve during a time of rising inflation, economic uncertainty, increased competition, and shifting customer demands. Speakers added to the list include Devin Nutter, Direc- tor, Strategic Sourcing, Tag, and Sahar Mehrabzadeh, Ex- ecutive Vice President of Sales, Bay Cities. The 2023 topics include Blue Ocean Strategy in a Sea of Sameness; How to Use Technology to Transform Your Workforce, Achieve Business Goals, and Delight Custom- ers; Sustainable Packaging in Social Media; True Sustain- ability Defined: Closing the Gap Between Being Sustain- able and Being Zero Waste; The CX Gap You May Have Overlooked; and Plastic Is Out — Sustainability Is In: Are You Ready to Sell Reusable Corrugated? To register, visit aiccxperience.com before the April 7 deadline to receive the $995 early bird rate. Contact Chel- sea May at cmay@aiccbox.org for more information. To secure rooms at the Hyatt Rosemont, visit aiccxperience. com before the May 8 deadline. Book by phone at (847) 518-1234 and reference AICC Xperience.
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Legacy Of Packaging Giant Paul Keyser Of UPB Hailed By Industry The paperboard packaging industry lost a giant this past January. Paul B. Keyser, Chairman of the Board of Utah Paperbox, passed away in his sleep after a long battle with cancer. Paul “PK” was born and lived his early childhood in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended high school at The School in Pennsylvania. Following high school, he attended and graduated from Princeton University, where he learned the value of a great education and over the years, set up numerous education funds for the children of friends and employees. He started his packaging journey in 1965 at Utah Pa- perbox (UPB) and came into the family business as the third generation. Within a few years Paul’s father fell ill and
passed away, thrusting Paul into the big chair. At that time UPB was a small rigid box company that made boxes for various candy companies, garment boxes for retail stores and boxes for the Church of Latter-Day Saints. From left, Madison Keyser, HR Manager; Steve Keyser, CEO, and Paul Keyser, Chairman of the Board, Utah Paperbox.
In the '70s, Paul decided to expand into the folding carton business and purchased a used 29-inch 2-color press along with a die cutter and straight-line folder gluer. UPB was off and running in the folding carton world. In 1988, UPB purchased a used 4-color press and in 1966, UPB purchased its first new press, a 6-color 50-inch model. In 1998, UPB installed its first 7-color offset press. If you knew Paul, you knew he loved state-of- the-art, cutting-edge shiny equipment. That was also true for his love of cars and toys. In 2012, Paul and his son, Steve, con- solidated into its new 250,000-square-foot headquarters with a new 7-color UV press. Paul worked at UPB for 57 years and worked up until the week he passed away. Today, UPB is celebrating being in business for 109 years. Steve Keyser (4th generation) is the CEO and his daughter, Madison (5th generation), recently joined, overseeing Human Resources. Paul’s goal was to set up UPB to be successful today and in great shape for another 100 years. Paul was a great father figure to so many people and he helped many of his friends start new businesses. One of them is Wasatch Container which was founded by Jerry Frisch and Paul Keyser in 1995. Paul was a great mentor to many people in and out of the packaging world. He loved Utah and sharing it with others. He knew ev- ery backroad and trail in Utah. During those explorations, Paul shared his feelings about the true meaning of life and happiness. If you were blessed to know PK, you would be re- ally blessed in life. Men like Paul don't come around often. He was one of the good ole' guys of our industry, as well as the world.
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TAPPI Selects Fellows, Outstanding Young Professionals For 2023 TAPPI announced it will bestow the title of Fellow on sev- en members and name five individuals as this year’s re- cipients of the Young Professional of the Year awards. Fellow is an honorary title bestowed upon a small per- centage of TAPPI’s membership and is given to individ- uals who have made extraordinary technical or service contributions to the industry and/or the Association. The following individuals have been named 2023 TAPPI Fellows: • Mark Keaten, Senior Director Operations, GAF • Kecheng Li, Ph.D., Paper Technology Foundation Inc. Endowed Professor; Chair of the Department of Chemical and Paper Engineering, Western Michigan University • Dave Maddux, Regional Sales Manager, Valmet • Robert J. Moon, Ph.D., Materials Research Engineer, USDA Forest Service • Jeff Peters, Tissue Applications Manager, BTG Amer- icas, Inc. • Danny S. Tandra, Ph.D., President, Clyde Industries • Rory A. Wolf, Chief Executive Officer, PackEdge Global In addition to those who are being recognized for mer- itorious service, the title Fellow may also conferred upon TAPPI Board chairs, vice chairs, and directors at the end
of their terms of office, and upon Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Awardees and Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Recipients. This prestigious group will be honored April 23 at the Fellows Luncheon during TAPPICon on April 22-26 in At- lanta, Georgia. The Young Professional of the Year is an annual honor that identifies aspiring young leaders in the global forest products, pulp, paper, tissue, packaging and associated in- dustries. Eligible nominees are age 35 or younger with less than 10 years of industry experience. The recipients of the 2023 TAPPI Young Professional of the Year award are: • Brennan Augst, Technical Expert, Voith Paper • Sage Duguay, Business Intelligence Consultant, Fisher International Inc. • Garrett Fisher, Technical Sales Engineer, Kemira Chem- icals • Landon Kirkland, Process Engineer, Wood PLC • Harrison Talton, R&D Researcher, Fiber Technology, at WestRock The award recognizes young professionals who have made significant contributions to the forest products indus- tries in the following areas: leadership, community service, and problem-solving contributions to scientific or engineer- ing projects. Winners are granted one full year of TAPPI membership and are invited to attend their division-specific TAPPI conference during 2023 to receive their award.
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Rusken To Expand Capacity At Harrisburg, Cullman Facilities
Box Shipments ( U.S. Corrugated Product Shipments) Industry Shipments In Billions of Square Feet Month December 2022
Cullman, Alabama based Rusken Packaging announced the addition of new double sided tape machines at its Cull- man and Harrisburg, Arkansas facilities, further expanding the capacity and capabilities of each location. The new Straub SD/SF-60 taping machine in Cullman is capable of applying tape to sheets 60-inches wide and 78-inches long. Installed in Harrisburg is APR Solutions’ Maxi Box Plus 160, which is designed to apply a wide range of silicon tape application and adhesive tape up to 390 feet per minute. The new two-sided tapers in each location demon- strate advanced features, such as its precision taping and consistent sealing strength for improved efficiency and quality control. The Rusken team says the installation of the new equip- ment demonstrates the company’s commitment to invest- ing in the latest technology to meet the evolving needs of its customers. Rusken is a modern integrated packaging company with locations throughout the southeast United States. With 17 facilities in eight states, Rusken is a forward-look- ing organization that has experienced exponential growth over the last decade. For more information, visit rusken.com .
Year
Actual
Percent Change Avg Week Percent Change
2022 2021
30.124 34.180
-11.9
7.927 8.545
-7.2
Industry Total
Year-to Date
December 2022
Year
Actual
Percent Change Avg Week Percent Change
2022 2021
400.520 416.189
-3.8
7.979 8.291
-3.8
Industry Total
Containerboard Consumption (Thousands of Tons)
Year
Month
Percent Change Year-to-Date Percent Change
2022 2021
2.4260 2.7360
-11.3
32.5461 33.8321
-3.8
Container Board Inventory - Corrugator Plants (Thousands of Tons)
Corrugator Plants Only
Date
Percent Change Weeks of Supply
Percent Change
Dec. Nov.
2.2603 2.2586
0.1
3.5 3.6
-2.8
Shipping Days
Year
Month
Year-to-Date
2022 2021
19 20
251 251
SOURCE: Fibre Box Association
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The Verdict Is In: AI Will Kill Competition BY GREG TUCKER The recent explosion of interest in AI has me thinking hard about how it may impact my business. As a CEO, I’m always looking down the road for potential headwinds and tailwinds that might impact our industry. My im-
mediate thought on AI is that the potential it has for eliminating differentiation is greater than the good it might provide. New AI technologies that are now available to everyone — ChatGPT, the new Microsoft Bing, Goo- gle’s Bard, Stable Diffusion, DALL•E 2, and others — will likely erode our critical thinking, our creativity, and our ability to differentiate.
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Greg Tucker
In the corrugated industry, which is comprised of approximately 500 independent companies, we compete and survive through differentiation — our products differ (not every brown box is the same), the services we offer, and how we go to market vary greatly. If we all use AI, we’ll risk los- ing what makes each of us unique. All Information From The Same Place We need differentiation to compete — it’s good for all of us in the cor- rugated industry. But how do we compete if we all depend on AI systems that get information from the same places to generate marketing con- tent, do product development, and determine business strategies? Will we all start to look the same? Will customers be able to understand why
one corrugated company — or any other type of business — differs from another? Only humans can be original, be creative, and differentiate. AI only differentiates when a human provides information that allows for that difference. But who gets to set the bias in the data? And who fact checks? Arbitrators Create Everything The recent rollouts of ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard have not gone quite as their creators expected them to. There have been some concerning results. People who have put them to the test, including official testers, journalists, and tech experts have been surprised by the amount of inac- curate, completely made-up information — and even aggression — these AI platforms have served up. An article in The Verge calls Microsoft’s AI chatbot an “emotionally manipulative liar.” Vanderbilt University had to apologize to students after using ChatGPT to write an “odd” email reflecting on a mass shooting at another university — and leaving the ChatGPT signature at the bottom of the email. And it seems some AI chatbots, like Bing and Sidney, have resorted to insults and threats towards the humans testing them. We cannot blame the technologies for these problems. They function on data that’s provided to them and how they are programmed to learn — both of which are likely to include human bias. All of it comes back to CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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Sahar Mehrabzadeh Nominated For AICC West Coast Region Director Pico Rivera, California based Bay Cities Bay Cities, an- nounced the nomination of Sahar Mehrabzadeh, Execu-
The Verdict Is In (CONT’D FROM PAGE 12)
humans, and it seems we need to have some consensus on who should get to set the data parameters and any bias it should have. AI Can Be Useful Looking beyond the growing pains AI seems to be hav- ing, I’m not against using it. I think it has huge potential, and we are already using it in our business. AI is great for automating tasks, conducting data analytics, and making data-driven decisions. At Bay Cities, our goal for using AI is to create efficien- cies and improve our delivery times. The arbitrator of the data we’re using is a 40-year veteran in our business. Will the results be perfect? We’ll find out. But I can assure you we still have humans involved in every project. I’m not ready to hand quality control over to the bots just yet. I’m hedging my bets on issues playing out pretty quick- ly. The kinks will get worked out, there will be lots of com- petition in the AI space, and we’ll reach a point where we can get significant business value out of it — eventually. But as I said earlier, if we all start using AI to create our marketing material now, we are going to lose critical dif- ferentiation. What are your thoughts on this topic? Are you using AI for your business? If so, how are you leveraging this technology? By the way, no artificial intelligence was involved in the writing of this article. Greg Tucker is the Chairman and CEO of Bay Cities.
tive Vice President of Sales, for AICC West Coast Region Director. This es- teemed nomination offers Sahar the opportunity to represent both the mission and values of the AICC and be the delegate and voice of what its members want to achieve in the industry.
Sahar Mehrabzadeh
Sahar’s tenure as an employee owner at Bay Cities extends over 15 years and includes extensive time spent developing marketing and sales departments while also being a part of the Executive Leadership team. A member of the AICC for over 10 years, Sahar spent her early years as the Emerging Leaders Delegate and a Next Generation Rising Star and is part of a Bay Cities lega- cy as AICC members, following in the footsteps of Founder, Bill Hanan, and current CEO, Greg Tucker. AICC, The Independent Packaging Association, rep- resents and protects the business interests of members in the independent sector of the corrugated, folding carton, and rigid box industries.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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Mehrabzadeh Nominated (CONT’D FROM PAGE 14)
This association allows for professionals and compa- nies to come together and learn from each other and give back to the industry through education, content, and col- laboration. AICC Regional Directors are also members of AICC’s Board of Directors, responsible for organizing their re- gion’s activities, including holding regional summits, re- porting to the board on regional business conditions and membership opinion; and giving input to the board on regional problems, ideas, and complaints. Regional Direc- tors are asked to be “experts” in their regions for all AICC programs, goals, and activities. “It’s an honor to be elected. I am continuing the tra- ditions and making the commitment to bring more peo- ple into the industry," Mehrabzadeh said. "The AICC is an industry network that ultimately provides resources and solutions for the members, giving us the opportunity to learn from each other and bring back those learnings to our organizations to better serve our clients.” For over 60 years, Bay Cities has been a leading cre- ative packaging and display partner to brand marketers, retailers, and e-commerce companies using sustainable practices. Through innovation and creativity, Bay Cities has executed unique, eye-catching, and eco-friendly POP displays and packaging for major brands to be placed at retailers and online.
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Coastal Container Announces Two New Hires At Expanded Facility Holland, Michigan based Coastal Container announced two new hires as the company prepares to open its ex- panded facility later this year. Troy Howard has joined the team as a plant manager in its container and honeycomb divisions. Howard brings over 37 years of corrugated packaging experience, including working as the operations manager at Hood Container Corporation and as plant superintendent and process improvement cham- pion at Timbar Packaging & Display. “The growth that this company will see over the next year and beyond is incredible and I’m looking forward to being a part of it,” Howard said. Troy Howard
and communication. “I am excited to help build a growing independent cor- rugated container business,” said Staal. “So many of our peers have been swallowed up by the large integrated manufacturers that it creates a great opportunity for a lo- cally owned business to distinguish itself.” Coastal Container plans on hiring more employees in the next few months as they complete their $25 million expansion with more than 60 jobs in coming years. To support these expanded capabilities, they will also add dozens of new production and salaried positions. Partnering in the expansion, West Michigan Works and Grand Rapids Community College will provide on-the-job training and education for new team members in addition to training from the equipment supplier. The expansion, which will add 65,000 square feet as well as a new railway spur line to the Holland location, will allow for on-site corrugating capabilities which will bolster the company's resilience to supply chain disruptions and help put them in control of their own supply of materials. The majority of their expansion funds will be invested in a 110" Fosber corrugator and new honeycomb equipment from GTW with the remaining funds earmarked for building and railroad construction. The construction of a new rail spur will allow the com- pany to receive its raw material in the form of rolls instead of corrugated sheets. A single delivery of seven rail cars will replace approximately 48 truck loads of sheets.
Also new to the team is Thomas Staal, who has joined as the Director of Management Systems. Staal brings more than 33 years of experience in supervisory and quality systems roles. He has also served on several Technical Asso-
Thomas Staal
ciation for Pulp and Paper Industries (TAPPI) boards and committees, making contributions to performance, safety,
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Great American Packaging Invests In Koenig & Bauer Evo XD Press Los Angeles, California based Great American Packaging (GAP) has announced a host of successful outcomes since investing in a Koenig & Bauer Evo XD eight-color flexo press which includes a 78 percent increase in print busi- ness prompting the firm to add more shifts, sales support, and additional personnel. “Where we excel is solid customer relationships built on a strong foundation of white glove service,” says Beth Smith, GAP’s Executive Vice President. “Our customers praise our personal service consultation branding. All of which sets our client’s packaging apart on store shelves and sets us apart from competitors.” GAP’s press operators have taken advantage of the Evo XD’s automated features, which include optical error
detection, automated viscosity control, auto washup, auto impression setting, servo control, memory for job settings, automatic splicing, and automatic tension control. From left, GAP Printing Supervisor Ignacio Solis; GAP Presi- dent Bruce Carter; and GAP CEO Greg Gurewitz attribute a 78 percent increase in print business to their Koenig & Bauer Evo XD eight-color flexographic press.
DESIGNS THAT INCREASE PRODUCTION
“I’ve been a press operator for more than 30 years in which I’ve operated a wide variety of presses and the Koenig & Bauer Evo XD is the best experience I’ve ever had,” says GAP Printing Supervisor Ignacio Solis. “The best attribute for our press is Koenig & Bauer’s PrintTronic, which allows us to adjust the im- pression settings and minimize waste. Our op- erators enjoy using the friendly touchscreen panels, which automatically control tempera- ture, auto viscosity, and by far, color consisten- cy, which is awesome.” Koenig & Bauer offers 24-hour support ser- vices via augmented reality AR-DataGlass, an audio-visual tool designed to improve produc- tivity, quality, and performance. GAP’s printing supervisor and team can troubleshoot using the interactive glasses while a Koenig & Bauer technician can remotely view the challenges or issues on the machine from anywhere in the world and exchange direct communica- tion, technical information, or documentation in real-time. GAP says its management and sales team are always available to provide customers with up-to-date environmental rules. “Our recyclable and compostable products fall within the sustainability requirements of this legislation today,” Smith said. “We’ve even launched a compostable product line, and have partnered with our customers to develop new products designed for their sustainability manufacturability requirements.” “We remain convinced that we chose the best flexographic press partner in Koenig & Bauer,” says Bruce Carter, GAP President. “They displayed great services as a partner.”
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Koenig & Bauer Celmacch’s expertise with converters have enabled us to develop machines for you with the highest technological standards in the industry. This supports maximum reliability, quality and flexibility. Our range of products meet different investment strategies and productivity requirements, ranging from entry-level models to machines that are equipped with the highest levels of automation, sophistication and the highest throughput.
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FBA Has The Tools To Help Better Understand Your Target Market BY RACHEL KENYON In the world of sales, there's no shortage of advice on how to close the deal. Most of it begins with knowing your strat-
report also includes a view of economic activity in each of the six FBA reporting areas. Data and information in the report has been gathered and researched using numerous publicly available sourc- es. Opinions and forecasts expressed in the report are those of Storat and Associates and do not necessarily re- flect the views of the Fibre Box Association. The report can be a useful tool for understanding the outlook for products shipped in boxes. FBA will also hold a webinar on the re- port tomorrow, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. FBA mem- bers can register for the webinar by following the links at fibrebox.org. If your target market isn't included in this edition of the report, you can view past reports for clues on what's hap- pening in your market or you can look to a second tool offered by FBA, the monthly Market Data. Market Data highlights a different end-use market segment each month offering current news and developments with links to fur- ther information. FBA pulls information from a variety of sources, so you can see the overall picture of the market segments that best fit your business. Don't see your mar- ket covered? Send a request to FBA. FBA is lucky enough to have on staff a former librarian who has the skills to research your market and send you topline data to help you understand the current state of the market and where it's headed. In addition, FBA provides an historical look at end-use CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
egy and your target market. For cor- rugated packaging, your market may be as simple as anyone who buys a box or it could be a more sophisti- cated niche market that fits your pro- duction sweet spot and your compa- ny’s desired margin or somewhere in between. Whatever your market
is, getting to know it, takes time and homework. Fibre Box Association (FBA) has several tools that can help you better understand your target market. This week, FBA published the “Economic Trends and Outlook Re- port.” Produced twice a year, in February/March and Au- gust, exclusively for FBA by Richard Storat and Associates, the report contains a US economic overview and informa- tion about several box consuming markets. Information is available for end-use markets such as produce, meat and poultry, dairy, cereals, beverages and other food products plus durables and other non-durable goods. Covered mar- kets are organized and reported in the same way that box shipments are reported in the FBA's Annual Report. The Rachel Kenyon
Do you need printed sheets? We have your answer.. Introducing Heartland’s ColorCorr. This is “flexo-printing in the round”. On our corrugator we can print up to 109” wide. The advantage is that we can print the equivalent of ½ roll at a time and not be required to keep several rolls of very expensive preprinted paper on the floor. Much less waste and risk. In continual print mode, we use either laser-engraved rubber rolls or solid rubber rolls to print a “flood coat” or a repeating pattern. If we are printing a repeating pattern, we can run a two-color design on the paper. Customers have found that running sheets we print can allow them to run a lighter-grade due to reduced caliper loss, and in some cases eliminate one or more machine passes.
For more information contact: Charlie Freeman | 816-500-8889 | cfreeman@heartlandsheets.com Tim Kramer | 816-841-8317 | color@heartlandsheets.com
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Rusken Packaging Appoints Cooper Regional Sales Leader
FBA Has The Tools (CONT’D FROM PAGE 22)
production of boxes in the North American Industry Clas- sification System (NAICS) data included in the Fibre Box Association Industry Annual Report. NAICS is the standard used by federal statistical agencies in classifying busi- ness establishments and captures business activity across North America. FBA requests NAICS shipment data from members annually. Data for 2022 shipments in due to FBA on March 20. Looking at this data can give you general information about where most boxes are being used and may help you to pick a target market. Finally, FBA produces a monthly Plastic Reduction Report. Many companies and government organizations around the world have committed to the reduction of sin- gle-use plastics as part of their sustainability goals. FBA has created a spreadsheet with detailed information on the plastic reduction effort. The spreadsheet is organized with tabs for reducing plastic, retailers, International, oth- er, government and state legislation with the newest in- formation at the top of each table. The information may lead to opportunities for corrugated manufacturers to re- place plastics with corrugated packaging. There's nothing like being present and living in your market every day, but if you need a little extra information to enrich your pros- pects, look to the FBA for the tools to help you better know your target markets. Rachel Kenyon is Senior Vice President of FBA.
Cullman, Alabama based Rusken Packaging announced the promotion of Mark Cooper to Regional Sales Leader
over Rusken West, leading its Har- risburg, Arkansas, and Olive Branch, Mississippi sales teams. Cooper started with Rusken during the acquisition of D & D Pack- aging in 2022, where he served as VP of Sales since 2016, then as General Manager beginning in 2021.
“Mark continues to be a great asset to Rusken and I am thrilled to see him thrive in his new role,” says Randy White- aker, COO. Since beginning his role at D & D Packaging, Cooper has prided himself on helping his team to grow and reach potential they didn’t think was possible. As a seasoned corrugated sales professional with 13 years of experience, Cooper is looking forward to utilizing the com- bined strengths of each facility to continue to grow the company’s customer base and create new opportunities. “My goals for the combined facilities would be to serve the customer base better as a team rather than individual entities. I hope to define new markets and utilize our high- ly skilled employees to capture new business opportuni- ties," Cooper said. Mark Cooper
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Customer Service (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
Payoff One : Consistently good can build trust. When an organization delivers a solid service experience with few surprises, people know what to expect, and a certain lev- el of trust develops. On the other hand, when a provider delivers an A today, a C tomorrow, and a D next week, the lack of consistency undermines the trust-building process. In short, A, C, D almost always loses to B, B, B. Your Move : Take a hard look at what you’re delivering. Are you steady and consistent, or is there more variation in the service experience? If you’re not performing with reg- ularity, take the time to set basic standards, train on those expectations, and review and refine what you’re doing on an ongoing basis. Payoff Two : Consistently good can grow loyalty and reduce customer churn. Reliable service drives loyal- ty. When customers know what to expect and they’re in need of what you have to offer, they’re more likely to stick with you if haven’t had them on a service roller coaster. If
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you’re great only some of the time and occasionally miss- ing good, you’ve opened the door and invited competitors to give it their best shot to woo your customers away. Your Move : Pay attention to what keeps your custom- ers coming back. Is it because you deliver a solid perfor- mance, is it because nobody else has tried to lure them away? If it’s the latter, it’s time to focus on fundamentals Payoff Three : Consistently good can reduce the like- lihood of disappointment. Organizations that deliver ex- ceptional one day and good the next may find that their good fails to live up to the expectations exceptional sets. Businesses that deliver a consistently good experience are less likely to run the risk of growing customer expec- tations to the point where they can’t be met. Those who chase exceptional too often find that they can’t keep top- ping themselves. Your Move : Ask yourself if any previous efforts to de- light have inadvertently encouraged your customers to ex- pect more than you consistently deliver. If that’s occurred, it’s time to reset expectations. For example, if your normal
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CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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Customer Service (CONT’D FROM PAGE 26)
propriate payoff. If customers don’t value extras, are they worth it? Probably not. Your Move : Pay attention to where you’re investing and what kind of payoff you’re getting for your efforts. If cus- tomers don’t value what you’re providing, it may be time to modify your offerings. Payoff Six : Consistently good is easier to monitor. Whether a service experience meets standards is relative- ly easy to determine. In contrast, ascertaining delight is much harder and usually more subjective. Your Move : Focus on what you’re evaluating and how. Are the standards measurable? If not, it may be time to rethink what you monitor and how you communicate that to those people providing service. Most businesses would see a greater return on their investment if they strived for a grade of consistently good instead of the occasional op- portunity to delight and excite. The work is easier and the payoff better in the long run. Kate Zabriskie is the president of Business Training Works, Inc., a Maryland-based talent de- velopment firm. She and her team provide onsite, virtual, and online soft-skills training courses and work- shops to clients in the U.S. and inter- nationally. For more information, visit www.businesstrainingworks.com.
service response time is 48 hours and you’ve gotten into the habit of jumping on command for certain customers, it may be time to go back to return to a more manageable schedule. Payoff Four : Consistently good is easier to train. Show- ing employees how to deliver exceptional is much harder than teaching them how to consistently deliver a solid per- formance. By zeroing in on the fundamentals, businesses
can streamline processes, reduce complexity, and show their employees how to regularly and reliably deliver something good. Your Move : Take a look at your training and what’s hap- pening on the job. Are you nailing the basics? If not, it’s probably time to focus on the core activities that move the needle for most customers Payoff Five : Consistently good can be more cost ef- fective. Before investing in shazam, bling, and wow, busi- nesses should ask themselves if those efforts have an ap-
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