Star Corrugated (CONT’D FROM PAGE 24)
issued a purchase order for a DataMaster which was to do exactly that. Web guides were to be supplied by Erhardt & Leimer, which Etra inspected while in Europe. Unfortu- nately, Marquip concluded that the technology wasn’t up to the task and withdrew from the project. Alas, complete corrugator control systems were not to become reliable for some years. Now came the practical matters. Working with Henry Tolsma of Pentek and Russ Ryden of ACS, an optimal lay- out was developed; however, the proposed corrugator would cut across the existing transfer car aisle, so Star had to operate with a discontinuous transfer aisle until the project was complete. At the same time, the primary cor- rugator was removed so that site work could begin, with the old backup corrugator now running around the clock.
and the Denver International Airport, was retained. Selecting components was an interesting journey. The only corrugator manufacturers remaining in the United States were Langston (then owned by Molins, who was try- ing to divest it), and Marquip. MHI had a stellar reputation, BHS—represented by General Corrugated—barely had a foothold in the USA, and Peters—represented by Bobst. At Jim Stevenson’s urging, Etra decided to visit DRUPA in Dusseldorf and observe BHS, Peters, and MHI corrugators in Europe, following which he would visit state-of-art-facili- ties to learn about the latest technology. He subsequently continued this practice every four years until the final Paris corrugated show in 2002.
But there was a problem. In 1986, the Chernobyl di- saster had just happened, and the United States had just bombed Libya. Etra’s parents didn’t want him to go, and his wife was in tears at the airport as he left. He went anyway. Ultimately, the decision was made to go with a Langston wet end and Marquip dry end. Of the other manufacturers, one said that their proposed four-foot-high bridge would be adequate, one insisted that single facer foundations would have to be constructed through the first floor to the ground, and the other had no idea that rolls could weigh more than 6,600 pounds. This decision was fraught with risk. Langston’s man- agement was attempting to purchase the company from their parent Molins, and they expected their 380 single facer, a replacement for their 280 model, to debut shortly. A successful sale and startup were critical for Langston, so Star negotiated under which Langston would manage the entire installation and would swap out the 280 single facers at an attractive price when the 380s were proven. Marquip was also a bit risky because its slitter scorer had just recently gone into service. Marquip could automate the dry end order change pro- cess, but Etra and Stevenson set out to automate the en- tire line. Working with Carl Marschke and Richard Thomas, the founders of Marquip, they wrote specifications, and Star Corrugated Box Company used a crane to hoist a Langston 280 single facer through a second-floor door.
The final bridge was six feet high between beams, not ideal but workable, but there was no way the stacker would fit. The solution: raise one roof bay above the stacker. Finally, how to bring in the equipment? Heavy lift he- licopters lowering equipment through the raise stacker roof? Not practical! Clear a path through the factory? Too disruptive, not to mention that the floors were not designed for the weight of this equipment. The solution? The New York and Atlantic Railway, which delivered much of Star’s roll stock by rail, owned inactive tracks behind the building and allowed Star to create a temporary roadway across the railbed to the building. Once a second-floor doorway
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April 21, 2025
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