Lawrence Paper Box (CONT’D FROM PAGE 50)
Lawrence Paper Box has had such an overwhelmingly positive experience with Engico as an OEM, Hill says his company is not required to have much contact with them. “Fortunately, we do not have to work with Engico very often,” he said. “The machine is very reliable and many of the parts are generic and do not need to be sourced through Engico. When you combine this with the fact that we have a talented maintenance staff, it means we can take care of most maintenance issues without having to wait for Engico to fix something. Engico has always been responsive when we have an issue for which we need their help because we don’t have the right part or exper- tise to fix it ourselves.” Bay Cities & AICC: Building The Future Of Independent Packaging When Bay Cities joined The Independent Packaging As- sociation (AICC) in 1975, it was more than a membership, it was a commitment to community, mentorship, and shap- ing the future of the independent packaging industry. 50 years later, that commitment has only deepened. Bay Cities founder Bill Hanan saw something in AICC from its earliest days: the potential for a collective of inde- pendents to stand stronger together. Bill didn’t just attend AICC meetings, he invested in the organization. He proud- ly carried the AICC banner, encouraged collaboration, and made history when Bay Cities made the largest single con- tribution to date to launch what is now the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF). That donation became the catalyst for many others to follow suit.
one it enjoys with the Italian manufacturer of converting machinery Engico. In 2006, Lawrence Paper Box became the first U.S. installation site for an Engico Jumbo machine when it installed a 66-inch by 188-inch jumbo folder glu- er. Hill was sufficiently impressed with the machine’s per- formance that he ordered another one for the Jayhawk facility in 2017, a dual-sized 66/99 by 188-inch machine. In 2020, the original Engico machine was replaced at Law- rence Paper Box with a new model. “We first observed the Engico during a tour of Italy in 2004,” said Hill. “At that time all the large boxes we made had to go through a jumbo printer slotter and then a glu- er or a stitcher. We observed the Engico producing boxes and quickly calculated that we could finish orders of less than 1,000 pieces on the Engico before we would be able to set up our jumbo printer slotter, let alone add in the run time on the jumbo or the run and set time on a finishing machine. Thus, we saw not only huge productivity poten- tial, but also the opportunity to get rid of several pieces of older equipment. “Rinaldo Benzoni, Engico’s founder and mastermind behind the technology, had some patents on some very innovative engineering,” Hill said in regard to the first in- stallation. “After doing our research, we thought it was the best Jumbo Flexo Folder Gluer we could find in the world, especially with the side slotting, die cutting, stitching and gluing all in one machine. It was almost like having an en- tire sheet plant in one machine.” The first Engico had been such a workhorse for the company that after a decade and a half of service, Law- rence Paper Box replaced it with a brand-new Engico Jumbo machine in 2020, looking to add some additional capabilities. “There were two enhancements over our original ma- chine that drove our decision,” said Hill. “The first was the ability to have both a 99-inch as well as a 66-inch diecut cylinder. The second was the technology allowing us to print on blanks over 66-inch through the machine using 66-inch print cylinders. While there were other improve- ments, those two were the compelling ones for us.” Hill stressed that the greatest benefit of the Engico Jumbo machine is its ability to make most large boxes in one pass. Of almost equal importance, said Hill, is the abil- ity to set-while-run which permits short set-up times. “In the 90s and into the early 2000s, Engico built a slot- ting section that is unique and retrofittable in other OEM machines,” said Keith Umlauf of Haire Machinery, which represents the company. “It’s no secret the key to a square box is directly linked to the slotting section. Engico’s is un- like anything you’ve seen on any other machine. The inte- gration of quick set up capability on the print units slotting section and die cut section, launched Engico into a league of their own. They’re doing with a jumbo machine what others are doing on a mini, including having the ability to set up while running.”
Bill didn’t keep this vision to himself. He brought Greg Tucker – then a young hire but now Bay Cities’ Chairman and CEO – into the fold, quite literally pulling him into AICC board meetings to “listen and learn.” What started as qui- et observation soon turned into active participation, and eventually, leadership. Greg became an AICC Board Mem- ber, then a Regional Director, and finally the Chairman in 2014 and was later inducted into the AICC Hall of Fame. Bay Cities has not only benefited from AICC’s educa- tion, networking, and programming, we’ve helped shape it. From sponsoring events to developing operational CONTINUED ON PAGE 56
54
www.boardconvertingnews.com
October 6, 2025
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator