Buckeye (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
• Four-shaft servo dual slotter for versatility, extraordi- nary scoring and virtually no slotting knife changes; • Movable center head that allows for different slotting configurations; • High-speed, top-loading Counter Ejector for die-cutting and smaller bundle quantities; • Available with Scrap Master for customers needing a scrap management system (optional); and • Dual servo slotter virtually eliminates knife changes. The excitement generated by the ApStar folder gluer is shared throughout the facility.
Pieroni joined the company in 1994, with a mindset heavily geared toward a solutions-oriented leadership. He felt it was important to reevaluate the traditional expecta- tions of sales from the very start. Over the past five years, in particular, the industry has changed irrevocably and companies need to address these new dynamics head-on. “I started with the company in sales and felt that the best way to build lasting relationships was to pay attention to customers’ business needs first and then friendships
The ApStar flexo folder gluer from Haire has vastly improved production capacity at Buckeye.
will build from that,” he said. “Particularly since Covid, the role of technical sales person is of greater value. Since everyone is doing more with less, the same holds true of our customers. They need less old-school ‘wine and dine’ sales and more laser-focused attention to their immediate needs. If we say we are going to deliver for our customers, that’s what we do.” The nature of sales has changed substantially, Pieroni said. “The technology we implement in our facility allows us to be much more considerate with our customers’ time. I sell more now ‘off the road’ than I did when I was full-time sales,” he said. “Five times as much.” A New Age The addition of the ApStar flexo folder gluer ushered in a new age for the company, allowing it to streamline its operation and seek out new avenues for production. Among its standard features the Apstar includes: • Servo Lead Edge Feeder; • Remote Ethernet connection for 24/7 support; • SUN Microgrind for a consistent cutting and creasing surface throughout the life of the anvil blankets; • Siemens PLCs and touch screens throughout; • Impulse dust management system for highest quality graphics and more machine uptime; • Components that include Pamarco anilox rolls, CUE blankets, Rexroth, ABB, SEW Euro drive, ARO;
“The capacity has been through the roof now,” said Spencer Wade, Field Sales Manager. “The output those machines achieve has allowed us to have so much more capacity with less machines, less people.” Wade has been involved with Buckeye his entire life — his father started working at the company when Wade was only six months old. In a delightful demonstration of symmetry, Wade came to work full-time for the company when his own daughter was six months old. “I’ve been around Chris Pieroni my entire life,” he said. “A lot of the people still working here watched me grow up. Chris operates with a true open-door policy and his management style is built on respect and listening to ev- eryone’s input.” A move that Wade contributes to his success on the sales side is being tasked with serving in customer service for his first six months with the company. “Getting a first- hand crash course in how customers look at the company, what they expect, how they react, was an invaluable ex- perience.” Mullins, who started with the company in 1994 full-time, has seen every expansion and installation along the way. The company provided him a wide array of experience in all aspects of production. “I began as a general laborer,” he said. “In time, I
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20 July 6, 2026
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