Automation (CONT’D FROM PAGE 28)
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
Connell: At what point do you start to get disinterested if other paybacks are going to be too long or if it’s going to be good enough? Thomas: It’s a good question. I mean what we're doing is an expensive investment to try to get rid of three people per machine center. The Covid years gave us an interest- ing situation to be in. Our business grew, and everybody in this room had some great years during that time, but if we get that much additional business, how are we going to handle that because we really had trouble getting people to staff that and our lead times were tripling. So, I think that was kind of a preface into the future with more business. We have to find ways to remove the bottlenecks in our manual processes. Cohen: I think what Keith said is important. Our corrugator superintendent always says speed costs money. How fast do you want to go? We had a competitor go out of busi- ness. They hadn’t put a dollar back into that plant in 20 years. So, survivability, right? You have to automate to sur- vive, it’s the only way, especially as an independent, you have to make that investment. And in the near term, if you don't make that investment, your bottom line might look good, right? You won't have that depreciation expense, but at the same time you're losing out to everybody else in this room who's reinvesting in automation and increasing their throughput capabilities. It’s not always about justification, it's about survivability and reinvesting in your business. Wood: For those of you that attend these regularly, I think it was a year and a half ago we were in California. Mitch Klingher stood up and talked about ROI investment. If you remember, he said the days of figuring out your three-year ROI are going to be over for a while. You have got to look at what your business needs to be viable and it’s absolute- ly true. Connell: In this age of digital transformation, what tasks or process in your plant cannot be automated? Cohen: You still need people to manage the process. Any machinery salesperson will tell you it's just going to work. It’s not just going to work. Automation needs tending; it doesn't need operators; it needs tending and those ten- ders need to understand it. You can’t eliminate that. You need that tender to understand what's going on because when automation goes wrong, somebody needs to cor- rect it. To Dennis’ point — you still need box makers. You still need people who understand work quality and how to make a good product coming out. You can’t substitute that with automation.
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Advantzware provides a comprehensive system to address the business management needs of the independent box business, as well as the ERP requirements of full scale pack- aging plants and integrated companies. With modules for estimating, scheduling, production, inventory and account- ing, this scalable system supports companies that produce corrugated boxes, folding cartons, point of purchase dis- plays, assembled partitions, and paperboard products. AIR CONVEYING CORPORATION www.accfilter.com Air Conveying Corporation is a leader in the industry of Pneumatic Conveying Systems and has been in business since 1968. As an equipment manufacturer rather than sim- ply a sales organization, we have complete control over the quality of material and products which make up your pro- posed system. Our equipment is found in printing, folding carton and corrugated plants throughout the world. We've been designing, manufacturing and engineering pneumatic conveying systems since 1984. We partner with our customers to ensure they operate efficiently and guar- antee our systems meet or exceed their specifications. ASDI specializes in full pull-through systems trim separators, and NFPA compliant systems with full electronic controls. AMTECH SOFTWARE www.amtechsoftware.com AIR SYSTEMS DESIGN, INC. www.airsystemsdesign.com Amtech offers the industry’s most innovative and com- prehensive corrugated and packaging ERP, integrated scheduling software, and engineered automation technol- ogy. For over 30 years, Amtech has kept our customers competitive in an ever-changing economy with customer digital storefronts and workflows, business intelligence, automated scheduling for corrugators, converting and shipping, proactive roll stock and inventory management. APEX INTERNATIONAL www.apexinternational.com World’s largest Anilox and Glue & Metering roll manufac- turer, providing the widest selection of corrugated engrav- ings and complementary services. Anilox engraving options available from our North American manufacturing facility include elongated 75°, 60°, 45°, plus Apex’s patented GTT technology. Glue rolls are produced with Hardened Stain- less Steel and a max TIR of 10 µ for Single, Double Facers.
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Albany International has a corrugator belt for every appli- cation. Our reputation for durable performance is the trade- mark of the most dependable belts in service today.
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30 October 16, 2023
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