Acme Hosts (CONT’D FROM PAGE 24)
of manufacturing, Jeff was introduced to the corrugated industry with Acme roughly 15 years ago. His rich experi- ence translated into a fun, informative, and eye-opening look into everything from flute profiles and basis weights to box strength, recycled content, and sustainability. “The magic of corrugated boxes goes back far longer
And understandably so. Corrugated packaging is one of those things that’s everywhere, but the process behind it isn’t something most people think about. Attendees would get to take a tour of the plant later in the morning,
The Acme Corrugated Box team, from left: Jeff Bittner, Technical Sales; Donna Johnstone, Sales Support Specialist; Kevin Beynon, Production Superintendent; Bob Cohen, President; Kathryn Reimer, Supply Chain Coordinator; Tracy Canter, Packaging Consul- tant; Helene Nadata, Sales Support Supervisor; Brian Winning, New Product Development Engineer; and Erik Cohen, Packaging Consultant.
but first, Bob shared about the origins of Acme and how the company has evolved up to this point. Acme has come a long way from its humble beginnings as an industrial rag and scrap collection business in the early 20th century. Now a third-generation family-owned box making operation, it runs out of a 320,000-square- foot facility, employs roughly 300 people, and ships be- tween 50 and 60 truckloads of corrugated material each
than you might think,” Bittner shared. “In the 1800s, when the first corrugated box manufacturing began in the U.S., one of the first things it was used for was top hat con- struction, where they wanted to stiffen the tower of the hat. Ultimately those applications were expanded into a variety of other things, like an economical replacement for wooden crates.” Corrugated can certainly feel like magic – we’re literal- ly surrounded by cardboard, but how many people really think about where it came from? “As simple and commodity as a box may seem, there is an incredible amount of science and technology that goes into doing boxes in the modern world.” Jeff went on to ex- plain how adhesives are generated and applied, how flute profiles impact performance, and why scores and slots are critical to creating a box that folds and performs as intended. It was a reminder that even something as com- monplace as a corrugated box is the result of significant engineering and process control. The presentation also touched on sustainability, a topic Jeff said generates more customer questions than almost any other subject. Two years ago, Acme began partici- pating in EcoVadis, the globally recognized sustainability reporting platform. Since then, the company has earned Bronze recognition in consecutive years, improving its score during the most recent reporting cycle. Peeking Behind The Curtain Following the presentation, attendees split into small groups for the plant tour. Acme’s Hatboro facility is home to 11 converting lines (eight flexo folder gluers and three die cutters), a 110” high-speed corrugator, a WIP racking
day throughout the Northeast. A Crash Course In Corrugated
For many attendees, this would be their first visit to a corrugated plant. Before stepping onto the production floor, we got a crash course in the basics.
Jeff Bittner, Technical Sales for Acme, delivered a Box 101 presentation to the group, which was a mix of Acme team and WIM attendees from a variety of manufactur- ing backgrounds. Following a career in various avenues 26 June 8, 2026 Jeff Bittner delivers an introductory presentation about box making. At the bottom of the screen you’ll see Ukranian subti- tles, which is to make training and safety messaging accessi- ble for the 35 Ukranian workers on the production staff.
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