BoardConverting Serving the North American Corrugated and Folding Carton Industries for 37 years January 4, 2021 VOL. 37, NO. 1
SMC Packaging Group Undergoes Major Expansion BY JACKIE SCHULTZ Southern Missouri Containers, Inc. (SMC Packaging Group) is complet- ing the final phase of a major expansion and relocation of its Spring- field, Missouri operation, consolidating six facilities into two buildings and adding several pieces of high-speed converting equipment. Springfield is the flagship location of SMC Packaging Group, a closely held and employee owned corrugated company with 500 total
EEOC Presents Mandatory Vaccine Guidance As the largest inoculation effort in human his- tory kicked off in December, the EEOC provid- ed guidance on mandatory employee vacci- nations. According to NAM Director of Labor and Employment Policy, Drew Schneider, the EEOC allows employers to require employees to take the vaccine, so long as the company meets requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Genetic Information Non- discrimination Act. Equal employment laws still apply during the pandemic, but the EEOC states that they “do not interfere with or prevent employers from following the guidelines and sugges- tions made by the CDC or state/local pub- lic health authorities about steps employers should take regarding COVID-19.” “If an employee is unable to take the vac- cine due to a disability, an employer may only exclude the employee from the workplace if that worker presents a ‘direct threat’ to other workers and the employer is unable to pro- vide a reasonable accommodation to the em- ployee that would eliminate or reduce the risk to other employees,” says Schneider. Visit nam.org for more information.
employees and 326 in Springfield. Since its founding in 1972 SMC has grown to four locations across the Midwest, in Kansas City and Spring- field, Missouri; Conway, Arkansas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Springfield has a diversified customer base serving food and bever- age, light industrial, e-commerce, subscription services, retail, displays, automotive and other box plants and distributors. It has experienced significant growth over the years, nearly doubling sales volume in the last five years, prompting the need for more space. The company had occupied its 160,000-square-foot building since 1974. However, the addition of converting equipment and a 98-inch Fosber corrugator cre- ated space and production constraints to a point where machines had to be periodically shut down because there was no more room for WIP. “We eventually expanded into other facilities for storage, design, and The SMC Board of Directors, foreground from left, Matt Ausburn, VP of Fi- nance; Kevin Ausburn, Chairman/CEO; Randy Bachus, Executive Vice Pres- ident; Rich Bachus, President; and Mark McNay, Sr. VP – General Manager, along with the crew and maintenance in front of the company’s new six-col- or rotary diecutter.
WHAT’S INSIDE
6 x x 8 x x 12 x x 26 x x Hello Fresh: Hundreds Of Millions Of Meals And Boxes 12 FBA’s 2020 Year In Review: Pandemic Takes Center Stage 20 AICC Virtual Plant Tour At Dusobox A Success 3 Metsa Board Partners On Bins For Disposal Of Face Masks
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
AVERAGE CONTAINERBOARD PRICES The average prices reported are tabulated from prices PAID by various sources throughout the United States the week previous to issue. Prices in some areas of the country may be higher or lower than the tabulated average. The prices tabulated here are intended only for purposes of reference. They do not connote any commitment to sell any material at the indi- cated average. Transactions may be completed at any time at a price agreed upon by seller and purchaser.
REGION E. Coast Midwest Southeast Southwest
42# Kraft liner $885.00-890.00 $900.00-910.00 $900.00-910.00 $900.00-910.00 $930.00-940.00 $903.00-912.00
26# Semi-Chem. Medium
Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del.
$820.00-850.00 $835.00-855.00 $835.00-855.00 $835.00-855.00 $865.00-875.00 $838.00-858.00
West Coast U.S. Average
SHEET PRICES BY REGION (AVERAGE) Per 1MSF, local delivery included, 50MSF single item order, truckload delivery. Sheets
E. Coast Midwest South-SW S. CA N.CA/WA-OR US Aver.
200# 275#
$62.26
$72.05
$62.69 $82.80
$85.35 119.54
$73.13 101.29
97.32
99.89
90.86
113.65
OYSTER UP-CHARGE 8.34
8.34
8.34
8.34
8.34
8.34
275# DBL-WALL 350# DBL-WALL
107.46 118.45
114.69 129.32
116.54 137.25 117.82 145.56
141.08
122.76
148.46
131.80
CANADIAN SHEET PRICES (AVERAGE) In Canadian Dollars, per 1MSF, local delivery included, under 50MSF single item order, truckload delivery. 200# 275# Oyster UC 275#DW 350#DW $78.56 $99.18 $9.00 $96.32 $105.83 CANADIAN LINERBOARD & MEDIUM The average prices reported are tabulated from prices PAID by various sources throughout Canada. Prices may be higher or lower in various areas of the country. The prices tabulated here are intended only for purposes of reference. They do not connote any commitment to sell any material at the indicated average. Transactions may be completed at any time at a price agreed upon by seller and purchaser. Prices are Canadian $ and per metric ton.
42# Kraft Liner 26#
Semi-Chem Medium
East West
$920.00 $965.00
$910.00 $945.00
AVERAGE CONTAINERBOARD PRICES.indd 1
3/7/19 2:04 PM
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January 4, 2021
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AICC Opens Registration For Leadership Seminar
Core Competency
AICC, The Independent Packaging Association, has opened registration for Moving from CS Manager to Lead- er, a new webinar, Tuesday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. EST, with Suzy Cummins, Facilitator, Next Gear Consulting. This webinar will help attendees build on their managerial skills to become seasoned leaders. Participants will learn tips and tools to proactively pur- sue and create change opportunities, influence and inspire their teams, and create a vision for their organizations. Suzy Cummins is a versatile team leader and problem solver with 30 years of operations experience in the pa- per packaging industry. She has a diverse background in customer service, quality and process improvement, lean manufacturing, HR, Safety, and policy development. She builds cross-functional teams, demonstrates exceptional communication, and models critical decision-making skills. As a systems thinker she is able to lead and teach with awareness of a strategic macro view, and the judgement to dig in to the detail as needed. Registration for Moving from CS Manager to Leader is $250 for members and $500 for non-members. This we- binar is part of the All Access Pass. Pass holders can use their promo code to register at no additional cost. Visit www.AICCbox.org/Calendar to register.
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Hello Fresh: Hundreds Of Millions Of Meals And Just As Many Boxes In the third quarter of 2020 alone, HelloFresh delivered more than 162 million meals to over five million active cus- tomers and the company is continuously working on im- proving its product to win over even more customers. One of the many things on its agenda for continuous improve- ment are its boxes and packaging materials. Thomas Regenhardt, Head of Packaging at Hello Fresh, explained how his team deals with the different challeng- es around packaging, the company’s achievements and its plans for the future. “HelloFresh does not operate a standard e-commerce system in which packaging is used exclusively to bring a product safely to customers,” said Regenhardt. “Our busi- ness model is very difficult to duplicate. We have to select
packaging under completely different conditions and as- pects than other companies. Sometimes we even have to develop it ourselves. Our philosophy is to use packaging as sustainably, efficiently and consciously as possible. We
focus on a mix of consistent quality, envi- ronmental friendliness and functionality. Especially the latter is a continuous devel- opment process because we need to trans- port fresh ingredients. From tomatoes, cu- cumbers, rice and pasta to various types of meat, both thermal and sensory properties must be taken into account to provide our customers with the best possible freshness for their HelloFresh recipes.” According to Regenhardt, here are three basic challenges in packaging develop- ment: Dynamics, Temperature and Insula- tion. Dynamics: “At HelloFresh we offer our customers different recipes and add-ons each week, which means that there will al- ways be different requirements concerning packaging. In order to approach this in a data-driven way, we are currently develop- ing our packaging configurator 2.0, which in the future will predict our packaging con- sumption completely autonomously and dy- namically.The goal is to optimize the config- urator in a way that will enable us to predict requirements for packaging, even as our product portfolio grows. Temperature: “One of the most import- ant requirements for food safety and qual- ity is the thermal validation of our packag- ing. On average, our boxes are in transit for about 24 hours. During this time, the ingredients are exposed to many different environments, which might be refrigerated, non-refrigerated, cold or hot. It’s a complex ecosystem where internal and external tem- peratures interact, and we have to ensure that the mandated core temperature for
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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January 4, 2021
40 ft of paper travel from preheater to hot plates 3 seconds of heat, glue and bonding 1 chance to get it right! the ZONE
Design & Production
Chicago Electric offers 10 technology solutions to control ‘the Zone’ CORRUGATOR Sectoral preheating plate
Our sectoral preheating plates provide direct heat by means of a double steam circuit, allowing for efficient heating in hard-to-access locations, as well as to act as a steam shower to open the paper’s fibre, making it receptive to absorbing the heat and the glue.
This translates into increased speed and improved quality of the cardboard sheet finish.
The system’s main advantages are as follows:
• The plate may only be used to heat, only to humidify, or both options at the same time. • The plate is sectored, which allows for applying humidity to the sections. • It provides temperature in previously inaccessible locations and near the location needed. • It compensates the loss of temperature dissipated due to distance, speed or limitations of the exiting preheaters. • Quick transferring of heat to the paper. • The combination of the hot plate and steam shower allows for providing heat even to the hardest papers to heat. • Does not dry out the paper. • Possibility of operating as a humidifier and pre-conditioner. • Maintains and improves the fibre’s elasticity. • Acts according to the operator’s needs. • Facilitates the paper’s hygroscopy to absorb the glue and improve rubberising.
CONTROLLABILITY
1. Wrap Arm - Position & Temperature 2. Preheater Direct Drive
DOUBLEBACKER IMPROVEMENT
3. Steam Plate 4. Contact Roll 5. Glue Machine Direct Drive Touch Productivity Issue—Glue Unit Many glue units run with a rider roll or a guiding bar system. The rider roll with paper gap allows a precise glue application, but requires frequent Contact Roll
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DOUBLEBACKER IMPROVEMENT
calibrations and settings. Bar systems avoid this, but compensate this with the risk of exces- sive glue application. The system contains many wearing parts. Solution The contact roll combines the ad antage of both systems and ensures minimum contact between board and applicator roll. The system uses small pneumatic cylinders in order to achieve a “soft touch.”
6. Gap Control 7. Curved Plate 8. Roller Shoe Press When it comes to a short-term increas of web tension, spring loaded systems with shoes or airpressure activated system have problems in compensating these. The system is lifted for a short time. This may result in de-lamination and in the ‘double kiss’ effect. Solution For a defined and exact bonding point of the web fiv weight rollers will be installed usually over the first flat hotplate of the heating section. The rolls are mounted into a frame, which is actuated by means of two pneumatic cylinders. P oductivity Issu —Double Kiss Bonding
PRODUCTIVITY
PRODUCTIVITY
DOUBLEBACKER IMPROVEMENT
Roller Shoe
DOUBLEBACKER IMPROVEMENT
9. Thin Wall Hot Plates 10. Pressure System Benefits —Exact glue application due to defined contact of applicator roll to web. Web is in contact to less flute tips compared to bar systems. • High precision glue application • Less moisture applied to web —No wear of shoes and springs —No adjustment of shoes or paper gap —Uniform glue application over entire working width for all flutes by use of pneumatic cylinders instead of springs — Less contamination by paper dust and glue remains —No jam of board because of web breaks caused by splice joints going through 630-784-0800 Benefits —Rollers secure exact defined first point of contact of liner and single-faced board - No double kiss —Frame design avoids unintended lifting of roller shoe (compared to spring or air loaded systems) - No double kiss —Pressure can be increased or released for special grades or products 490 Tower Blvd., Carol Stream, IL Contact Chicago Electric to GET IT RIGHT 630-784-0800 info@chicagoelectric.com chicagoelectric.com Solution The ProPress system ensures an optimum heat transfer to the board. It offers a wide range of set- tings. The loadi g pressure can be varied, the number of shoes can be lifted in accordance t the line speed. The outer shoes can be lifted in accordance to the paper width. The shoe bars will be delivered pre-assembled for a short installation time. —Liftable for easy paper infeed and for cleaning of the machine —Position adjustable in paper direction to avoid grooves in hotplate Press Productivity Issue—Poor Heat Transfer Rollers are usually limiting the heat transfer, since they often have contact mainly on the edges of the plates due to wear or bent plates. They also cause often loss of caliper and bearing need to be replaced frequently. Airpressure actuated systems can only supply a limited pressure and have com- pared to shoe systems a closed surface. Pressure Shoe
Plate vity Issue—Poor Heat Control l hotplates are slow to react to pressure due to high steam volume and massive y also have high heat radiation and heat profile. Worn plates can damage crease edge crush.
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t by peripheral drilled hot plates. anufactured out of special wear and nt steel, through which a continuous is drilled, with one inlet and one outlet. ecured by a massive steel frame.
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ance from steam to paper surface results in fast heat flow n higher plate surface temperature
Benefits
Hello Fresh (CONT’D FROM PAGE 6)
Box Shipments ( U.S. Corrugated Product Shipments) Industry Shipments In Billions of Square Feet Month November 2020
certain products is not exceeded. But vice-versa, the situa- tion can also be a challenge: If the outside temperature in Canada is -30°C, then we have to figure out how to protect our ingredients from the cold. That’s why we measure, cal- culate and produce packaging for each market individually.”
Year
Actual
Percent Change Avg Week Percent Change
2020 2019
33.612 32.060
4.8
8.845 8.437
4.8
Industry Total
Year-to Date
November 2020
Insulation: “Packaging doesn’t only insulate the ingredients from outside temperatures, insulation is also important to prevent leakage of liquids inside the box. This is a real challenge, especially now that we are using more and more pack-
Year
Actual
Percent Change Avg Week Percent Change
2020 2019
371.553 362.151
2.6
8.008 7.839
2.2
Industry Total
Containerboard Consumption (Thousands of Tons)
Year
Month
Percent Change Year-to-Date Percent Change
Thomas Regenhardt
2020 2019
2.6756 2.5847
3.5
30.3291 29.7345
2.0
aging made of paper. Paper packaging has a higher leak- age rate compared to other materials. This is something that we are tackling.” Regenhardt said thermal management will continue to keep Hello Fresh busy in the future. “It would be great to collaborate with an institute to analyize and optimize our thermal validation with regards to our ice packs. Ideally we can then implement this in our day-to-day business, by using ice modeling that can automatically tell us how much ice, or how many cool packs we need to ensure food safety. This will likely become very interesting in the next few years due to global warming – so having a theoretical
Container Board Inventory - Corrugator Plants (Thousands of Tons)
Corrugator Plants Only
Date
Percent Change Weeks of Supply
Percent Change
Nov. Oct.
1.7912 1.8156
-1.3
2.5 2.6
-3.8
Shipping Days
Year
Month
Year-to-Date
2020 2019
19 19
232 231
SOURCE: Fibre Box Association
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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Hello Fresh (CONT’D FROM PAGE 8)
Founded in Berlin, Germany in 2013, Helllo Fresh has more than five million active cutomers in more than 14 countries around the globe. With the mission statement, “We change the way people eat forever,” the company generated revenue of more than 1.8 billion Euro in 2019. Hello Fresh has more than 7,000 employees.
framework and some initial practical solutions is one of our major goals. “Another topic we would like to further explore is paper packaging. After our successful Paper Pouch project, we are now looking into other products we can package in paper. First stop - developing primary paper packaging, for example for rice or pasta. As for the future of packaging, Regenhardt said sustain- ability is a trend that Hello Fresh is also confronted with in the packaging industry. “I therefore see a large move to- wards monomaterial packaging and reusability – both top- ics have been on our agenda for some time. Monomaterial packaging can be recycled quite easily because it consists of a single material that does not have to be separated be- fore disposal. This also makes the correct way of disposal more convenient for our customers. “We are currently working on solutions to convert all our packaging (including transport packaging) to mono-solu- tions. At the same time, the re-useability of our packaging is important for us and our customers. For example, our ice packs can be used to water flowers after delivery. Another innovation by our team is the recyclable HelloFresh box. We are currently testing this in-house development in sev- eral markets, including the Netherlands and Australia. I am already looking forward to developing further sustainable packaging solutions together with my team.”
Bob Lantz Retires From Fosber After 40 Years In Corrugated
Green Bay, Wisconsin based Fosber America announced that Bob Lantz, the company’s Midwest Regional Sales Manager, retired effective De- cember 31, 2020. Lantz began his career in
the corrugated industry with Ringwood Starch Equipment in 1980 as a Project Engineer. He eventually transitioned to sales and joined Fosber in 2010. “We’d like to thank Bob for his 40 years in the corrugated
Bob Lantz
industry and for the last 10 years he spent with us here at Fosber,” said Jeff Pallini, President of Fosber America. “We were fortunate to have him as an integral part of the Fosber family and we wish him the best of everything in retirement!”
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January 4, 2021
THE NEW RD115/135S
The NEW KOLBUS Hycorr RD115/135S Flexo Rotary Die Cutter represents years of investment by the KOLBUS engineering team in Rahden, Germany and the Hycorr technical team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This cooperation, combined with the input from our customers, has resulted in the ultimate blend of quality, performance, and value. Designed with all corrugated markets in mind, the RD115/135S is well equipped for high throughput, quick make-ready, and high graphics print production. With a complement of new features and benefits to accompany.
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Fibre Box Association’s Year-In-Review: The Pandemic Takes Center Stage
What a year to remember! As I think about 2020, the pandemic surely took center stage, driving changes at work, home, businesses, schools,
and places of worship. Working from home has become a norm for many workers. Is the need for individual offices or even office buildings a thing of the past? On-line shopping has accelerated for retail sales and many restaurants boast that curb- side take-out service is more profitable than seat- ed dining. Our education system is undergoing a radical change with virtual classrooms accessed from home. Will that lower the cost of second-
Packaging ERP Algorithmic Scheduling Web-Based Access Online Customer Portals
Paperless Workflows Mobile Sales Systems Digital Signage Production Monitoring Mobile Logistics Management Analytics & Reporting Cloud Hosting IT Management Services Cyber Security Management
Dennis Colley
ary education in the future and allow for more students to attend? These questions and lots more have challenged the traditional norms of daily life. Personally, 2020 has pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to do things I normally would not do. Not flying on airplanes has almost doubled my capacity for productive work and given me an opportunity to explore historical industry documents. I spent half a day reviewing twenty years of FBA Board meeting minutes. Looking at the meetings following Y2K (remember that?), I found it interesting that the agenda items from 2000 were essentially the same as today, but with redefined meanings and varied importance. For example: FBA has been providing data and statistics since its found- ing in 1940. Some reports have been eliminated, while many new reports have been developed to meet members’ needs. There are more bench- mark reports today than ever before and members use them to gauge their individual progress. Each year, more than 108 reports are available for FBA members who participate in the benchmark reports. In the early 2000s, FBA was focused on water and air compliance in the converting facilities. Over time, this focus, including recycling and re- sponsible use of raw materials, was defined as sustainability. Today, the buzz phrases are circular economy and regenerative practices. In the mid-90s, telling the corrugated industry story resulted in the formation of the Corrugated Packaging Council, which later became the Corrugated Packaging Alliance and was the precursor to the Corrugated What caught my attention the most, however, was the list of individuals who have served this industry and the association. These folks are lead- ers within their own companies and somehow found or made time to lead FBA. Here are the chairpersons of FBA for the last two decades: • 2000-2001, Jim Keller, Weyerhaeuser • 2001-2002, Bart Doney, Inland • 2002-2003, Dennis Willman, York Container • 2003-2004, John Lilac, Greif Industry Promotion Program (CIPP) today. FBA Chairpersons: Leadership And Service
600 + Plants 60,000 Users North America Latin America
• 2004-2005, Steve Klinger, Georgia-Pacific • 2005-2006, Bob McIlvaine, The Royal Group • 2006-2007, Tom Herlihy, Green Bay Packaging • 2007-2008, Bill Akers, Akers Packaging • 2008-2010, Tom Hassfurther, PCA • 2010-2011, Christian Fisher, Georgia-Pacific • 2011-2012, Tom Shallow, Fitzpatrick Container • 2012-2013, Jim Porter, RockTenn
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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January 4, 2021
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FBA Year-In-Review (CONT’D FROM PAGE 12)
January In January, FBA, as part of the Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA), introduced member companies to the lat- est Full Disclosure software model. The cost analysis tool can be used with corrugated packaging customers who may be considering different packaging materials. The tool tracks all the costs associated with packaging a prod- uct allowing manufacturers to make informed decisions about packaging materials. Dennis Colley and Rachel Kenyon also attended the Waste Management Sustainability Forum and participated in an AMERPIEN/Arizona State University Walton Sustain- ability Solutions Workshop on modeling the future of recy- cling. Beginning in January 2017, FBA highlighted a differ- ent market segment each month. February FBA joined a collaborative work group of industry leaders led by the American Forest & Paper Association
• 2013-2014, John Davis, Great Northern Company • 2014-2015, Mike Waite, Menasha • 2015-2016, Bill Hoel, International Paper • 2016-2017, Pete Watson, Greif • 2017-2018, Doug Bosnik, Buckeye Corrugated, Inc. • 2018-2019, John Kelley, Dusobox Corporation • 2019-2020, Jeff Chalovich, WestRock • 2020-2021, Cathy Foley, Pratt Industries I want to thank them for serving and giving of their time and energy to make our industry great. It is the collective wisdom of these individuals, along with a dedicated and talented FBA staff, that has made our association what it is today. Hopefully, anyone looking back on our time in lead- ership (2020) will acknowledge that the FBA Board and staff made a difference to protect and enhance the corru- gated industry. Here are our accomplishments for 2020:
(AF&PA) to develop design guidance for the recyclability of paper-based packaging. Den- nis and Rachel met with Mary Anne Hansan and staff at the Paper + Packaging Board and agreed to collaborate on new forestry and recyclability sell sheets for the P+PB Sales Channel Toolkit. March FBA, along with CPA partners AF&PA, AICC – The Independent Packaging Associ- ation, and the Technical Association for the Pulp and Paper Industry, urged Federal and State government to recognize corrugated operations as “essential businesses” during “Stay at Home” orders. CPA sent letters to the governors of all fifty states and the Depart- ment of Homeland Security. FBA issued a press release on the essen- tial work of the industry and launched a web page tracking COVID-19 information, includ- ing Essential Business Designation, Guidance for Employers, Food Safety and Packaging, and Surface Transmission of the virus. April With the FBA Annual Meeting cancelled, FBA held its spring Board of Directors’ Meet- ing by conference call. During the call, FBA ratified the membership’s election of new Board members and officers. Cathy Foley, Vice President Industry Relations and Supply Chain at Pratt Industries, became the Asso- ciation’s 2020-2021 Chairman. Additional officer elections include First Vice Chairman Bob Landaal, Landaal Packaging Systems; Second Vice Chairman Doug Bosnik, Buck- eye Corrugated; Immediate Past Chairman Jeff Chalovich, WestRock; President Dennis Colley; and Senior VP Rachel Kenyon.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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FBA Year-In-Review (CONT’D FROM PAGE 14)
tributed to members showing where boxes were used to ship products in 2019. FBA published the Corrugated Container Industry An- nual Report of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and the Fibre Box Association Membership Report was sent to members recapping the Association’s 2019 accomplish- ments. The Membership Report included a letter from Jeff Chalovich, past FBA chairman, who shared his thoughts on leading FBA and the impact of the Coronavirus on the industry. July FBA released the 2019 Operating Ratio Survey of Inde- pendent Sheet Plants. AF&PA confirmed pizza boxes can be recycledand FBA began promoting the news to con- sumers, recyclers, and pizza purveyors through targeted advertising in pizza publications and across social media. August The FBA Board of Directors Executive Committee met by video conferencing. Shar Huske retired from FBA after 17 years of service. September
May The Fibre Box Association (FBA) and AICC, The Inde- pendent Packaging Association, recognized 422 corrugat- ed industry plants for safety achievements in 2019. FBA created a video thank you to the industry’s essen- tial workers who helped keep transport packaging flowing to markets including packaging for food and other con- sumer products, medical and pharmaceutical products, tissue and hygiene products and more. Members of the Technical, Safety & Health, and Envi- ronmental Committees met by video conferencing to con- duct their business. Agendas and minutes for each of the three meetings can be found on the FBA website. June The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) report was updated on the FBA website and dis-
DESIGNS THAT INCREASE PRODUCTION
FBA published the E-Commerce Trends and News Report and the Economic Trends and Outlook for Corrugated Products report, which contains a U.S. and Canadian econom- ic overview and information about several box consuming markets. Rachel began sending e-mail advertising updates containing the monthly social media theme and ads to look for in upcoming trade publications. October The FBA fall Board of Directors meeting was held by video conference. A cease and desist letter was sent to TOSCA regarding incorrect claims about corrugated boxes and OCC. As a result, TOSCA modified their com- munications. FBA published its third quarter Advertis- ing and Social Media Impact Report. At the request of the Board, the dashboard report was developed earlier in the year with 1Q and 2Q reports also available. Rachel spoke at the NERC (Northeast Re- cycling Council) Fall 2020 Virtual Conference held October 20-22, 2020. FBA welcomed new member Corrugated Concepts & Packaging, Inc. to the associa- tion. November Both AF&PA and FBA announced a change in the frequency of reporting ship- ments, consumption, and inventory. Begin- ning in 2021, monthly reports will become quarterly reports. The first report of 2021 will be published on April 15, 2021.
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FBA Year-In Review (CONT’D FROM PAGE 16)
Kikumoto will be leading sales efforts for the North American market, comprising the U.S., Canada, and Mex- ico, beginning on January 4, 2021. The 29-year Mitsubi- shi veteran will work in close collaboration with Christine
The Key Performance Indicators (KPI) report was pub- lished for participating members. December The wax alternative coating survey was published in December. FBA shared social media posts about the role of corrugated boxes in the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. FBA also announced a “Save the Date” for the 2021 FBA Annual Meeting to be held at Montage Laguna Beach, Sunday, May 2 – Tuesday, May 4, 2021 (a Sunday to Tuesday format). Dennis Colley is President & CEO of FBA. MHIA Corrugating Machinery Names Kikumoto VP Sales, North America The Corrugating Machinery Division of Hunt Valley, Mary- land based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America (MHIA), a supplier of corrugating and box-making machinery, has announced the assignment of Hiroyuki Kikumoto as new Vice President, Sales for North America, Kikumoto is replacing Yasushi Kitahara, who will be as- suming a leadership role in the Sales Department of Mit- subishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems (MHI-MS) in Mihara, Hiroshima, Japan, after a successful three-year tenure as VP, Director of Sales for North America.
Little, the division’s Senior Sales Manager, and regional sales man- agers John Bacot, Greg Kukla and David Moulder. Kikumoto’s appointment is MHIA’s most recent move de- signed to strengthen its robust ma- chinery sales, allowing the compa- ny to deliver on its commitment to
Hiroyuki Kikumoto
grow market share and brand preference as the corrugat- ing industry emerges from the COVID-19 epidemic in 2021. “We’re thrilled to welcome Kikumoto to the North Amer- ican MHIA team,” said Shoji Isoai, President, MHIA Corru- gating Machinery Division. “His nearly three decades of global management and sales experience, understanding of our industry’s unique value chain, and proven leader- ship across multiple Mitsubishi divisions will help the cor- rugating machinery division continue to grow and deepen our customer partnerships.” Kikumoto most recently served as General Manager, Printing & Packaging Machinery Sales Department, at Mit- subishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems, Ltd., where he was responsible for global sales of its printing and pa- per converting machinery businesses.
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AICC Virtual Plant Tour At Dusobox A Success
tion wherever they are in the plant. Kelley then walked attendees through the ink kitchen and around the floor to see Dusobox’s five-color Gopfert, laminating section, autoplaten cutting and creasing area, specialty folder gluers. He ended the tour in the compa- ny’s digital space. Following the tour, breakout rooms were open to allow participants to ask Kelley questions and get more infor- mation from the suppliers highlighted in the video, which included Bobst, JB Machinery, Bahmuller, Gopfert, Poteet Printing Sytems, HP, Esko, and Kiwiplan. The tour was sponsored by Dusobox, HP, Kiwiplan, Po- teet Printing Systems, and JB Machinery. AICC’s next virtual tour, Thursday, January 14, at 2:00 p.m. EST, will feature Wasatch Container. Founded in 1995, Wasatch Container is a premier custom packaging design and manufacturer in Salt Lake City, Utah. Wasatch special- izes in corrugated shipping boxes, retail boxes, point of purchase displays, foam fabrication, and wooden crates. The virtual tour will feature a video tour of the facility with time for questions from attendees. For more informa- tion on upcoming virtual plant tours and to register, visit www.AICCbox.org/VirtualTour . Questions about the Virtual Plant Tour Series can be directed to Cindy Huber, AICC Director of Conventions & Meetings, at chuber@aiccbox.org or (703) 836-2422 or Laura Mihalick, Senior Meeting Manager, at lmihalick@aic- cbox.org or (703) 836-2422.
AICC, The Independent Packaging Association’s first vir- tual plant tour was a walkthrough of Dusobox in Orlando, Florida, with company President John Kelley. More than 360 registrants were able to watch the video tour of Du- sobox’s 250,000-square-foot facility in Orlando and ask questions of Kelley, as well as featured suppliers. After a brief company history highlighting the achieve- ment and Dusobox during their near 70 years of operation, the tour brought attendees through the company’s admin- istrative office, highlighting their data analytics team, be- fore moving on to showcase several of their design suc- cesses for displays and industrial packaging. After explaining their facility’s layout and the increased collaboration they have seen with their open floor plan, the tour moved on to the production floor. When Dusobox moved to its current facility in 2016, it focused on material flow and workflow. In the maintenance department, Kelley espoused the importance of maintenance, especially on high-tech ma- chinery. Dusobox has achieved an uptime of 95 percent. Its system uses Artificial Intelligence to bring predictability to its maintenance plan. All parts data, electrical schemat- ics and machine drawings have been digitized, so its team of five maintenance technicians can access the informa-
We’ve got our customers covered… …with our fiberglass backed, boltless, full double-wide blankets and an extensive inventory of corrugated parts needed by virtually every box plant in the country. The innovator of the original fiberglass-backed knuckle locking anvil cover, Stafford is the industry’s go-to source for everything corrugated. TM
www.go2stafford.com 800-282-5787 IS THE MANUFACTURER OF STAFFORD ANVIL COVERS ®
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A N N I V E R S A R Y
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H.B. Fuller Unveils Extreme Cold Resistant Adhesives For Pharma St. Paul, Minnesota based H.B. Fuller says it has readily available adhesive grades with hot melt advanced tech- nology for extreme cold storage of vaccines and medi- cation packaging. Advantra adhesives provide a secure bond at -70 C with tamper evident fibre tear. Proper packaging is essential to securely and reliably preserve and transport pharmaceutical products, includ- ing vaccines and medication, from the time they are filled until they get to a patient. Adhesives play a key role in packaging performance, especially in the face of strict storage requirements. Some vaccines need to be kept at -70 C (-94 F), which leads to complex packaging require- ments and the need to set up ultra-low-temperature freez- ers at vaccination centers. These storage requisites create logistics and transportation challenges for carriers and a wide preparation for national health systems. H.B. Fuller offers extreme cold resistant adhesive grades with Advantra 9280 EU and Advantra BOLD 9480. These have been designed for tough surfaces and harsh conditions such as high speed pharmaceutical packaging lines without counterpressure. Both solutions are com- mercially available in Europe, India, Middle East, and Africa (EIMEA) and with equivalent performance grades available globally. Visit hbfuller.com for more information.
Do you need printed sheets? We have your answer.. Introducing Heartland’s ColorCorr. This is “flexo-printing in the round”. On our corrugator we can print up to 109” wide. The advantage is that we can print the equivalent of ½ roll at a time and not be required to keep several rolls of very expensive preprinted paper on the floor. Much less waste and risk. In continual print mode, we use either laser-engraved rubber rolls or solid rubber rolls to print a “flood coat” or a repeating pattern. If we are printing a repeating pattern, we can run a two-color design on the paper. Customers have found that running sheets we print can allow them to run a lighter-grade due to reduced caliper loss, and in some cases eliminate one or more machine passes.
For more information contact: Charlie Freeman | 816-500-8889 | cfreeman@heartlandsheets.com Tim Kramer | 816-841-8317 | color@heartlandsheets.com
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SETTING STANDARDS in Corrugated Solutions
YOUR PARTNER OF CHOICE
INSPIRE AUTOMATION IS A TURNKEY SOLUTION PROVIDER FOR YOUR MATERIAL HANDLING AND CONVERTING NEEDS. We are proud to offer the products, services and partnerships needed to grow our customers’ business. Inspire Automation specializes in providing the highest quality material handling, litho labeling, load handling, converting and aftermarket products to corrugated converters.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
• Litho Labelers • Roller Conveyor • Bundle Conveyor • Stable Stack Conveyor • Robotics
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• Maintenance Plans • Replacement Parts • Safety and Device Audits
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SMC Packaging Group (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1 )
investments for the long term. Thus, we tend to operate in space that may be less than desirable with equipment that is pushed to its limits before we make the jump to the next level of capabilities.” The two locations in Springfield — the original build- ing at Belcrest Ave. and the new facility at Progress Place — are located about five miles apart. The new facility is 410,000-square-feet and sits on about 37 acres, allowing plenty of room for future expansion. Twenty dock doors, six rail dock doors, and two drive up ramps provide ac- cess to the building. There are eight machine centers, a maintenance shop, ink lab, sales and design center, and corporate office at this new location. The Fosber corrugator, along with an LMC jumbo ro- tary diecutter, Automatan laminator, flatbed diecutter and specialty finishing and converting, remain at the Belcrest building. Rollstock storage and a finished goods ware- house have been moved to the new building. “At some point we can build additional square footage and then put in a new corrugator so that the container- board and corrugator will be in the same building,” McNay says. “But that’s a few years away.” The relocation allowed for the addition of several new pieces of equipment, including a MarquipWardUnited 66- inch by- 125-inch rotary diecutter and a MarquipWardUn- ited 66-inch by 125-inch flexo folder-gluer, both with top and bottom print stations. The six-color diecutter has four CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
special finishing work. When we grew to six total facilities, we decided to consolidate,” says Mark McNay, Senior Vice President and General Manager. “As an independent, we follow a pretty typical pattern in that we focus on the needs of the customer and mak- ing the sale before we plan how we are going to service
them and produce the items in the most efficient manner for the long haul,” Kevin Ausburn, Chairman and CEO, says. “In short, we want to make sure the business is prof- itable and sustainable before we make significant capital The new facility at 4500 E. Progress Place sits on about 37 acres, allowing plenty of room for future expansion.
TURNKEY SOLUTIONS FOR SCRAP HANDLING CHALLENGES
Looking to increase the efficiency, cleanliness and profitability of your plant’s scrap management program? Then take a closer look at AES. Our resume includes 30 years’ experience and hundreds of successful installations for corrugated applications. Specialties include high volume baling systems, NFPA-compliant dust control solutions, and exclusive product innovations like the AirShark TM , our low profile, high capacity material separator. Our work speaks for itself: Read our Customer Success Stories online at www.aesales.net/case studies.
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A E S
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SMC Packaging Group (CONT’D FROM PAGE 24)
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
bottom and two top print units with JB Machinery dry- ers, a stacker from A.G. Stacker, a Signode bundler and a pre-feeder, bundle breaker and load former from Alli- ance Machine Systems International. The three-color flexo folder-gluer has two bottom and one top print units with
ADVANTZWARE www.advantzware.com
Advantzware provides a flexible and comprehensive sys- tem to address the business management needs of the in- dependent box business, as well as the ERP requirements of full scale packaging plants and integrated companies. With modules for estimating, scheduling, production, inven- tory and accounting, this scalable system supports packag- ing plants that produce corrugated boxes, folding cartons, point of purchase displays, assembled partitions, paper- board products, foam fabrication, as well as distribution of packaging supplies. Advantzware has been in operation for over 30 years and continually enhances our system to ad- dress the needs of the industry. AIR CONVEYING CORPORATION www.accfi lter.com Air Conveying Corporation has been designing, manufac- turing, and installing state of the art trim removal systems for the Corrugated, Folding Carton and Printing industries for more than 49 years. Contact us today.
JB Machinery dryers, a Signode bundler and an Alliance pre-feeder and load former. Also new is a Bobst Expertfold specialty folder-gluer, a Signode GCU unitizer and an ink dispenser from Poteet Printing Systems. To accommodate the additional capacity, C&M Conveyor and CreAlutions extended the mainline conveyor. McNay says the new equipment enhanced the legacy equipment which was moved to the new building. This in- cluded a Ward 50-inch flexo folder-gluer, an LMC 27-inch flexo folder-gluer, and two Hycorr rotary diecutters. A Blank Canvas The Progress Place facility offered a blank canvas from a design perspective, allowing SMC to maximize through- The new three-color flexo folder gluer by MarquipWardUnited has two bottom and one top print units.
ALBANY INTERNATIONAL www.albint.com
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.
AMERICAN CORRUGATED MACHINE www.acm-corp.com
For a wide variety of new and used equipment on today’s market, visit our website. You can e-mail us directly from the site for all your corrugated needs.
AMTECH SOFTWARE www.amtechsoftware.com
Amtech offers the industry’s most innovative and compre- hensive corrugated and packaging ERP, integrated sched- uling software, and engineered automation technology. For over 30 years, Amtech has remained at the backbone of successful businesses from the independent box makers to the largest integrateds. We keep our customers competitive in an ever-changing economy with options such as custom- er digital storefronts and workflows, business intelligence, automated scheduling for corrugators, converting and ship- ping, proactive roll stock and inventory management, and so much more in an integrated, single vendor environment. APEX INTERNATIONAL www.apex-groupofcompanies.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.
put in the near-term, continue to grow in the mid-term, and plan for future facility expansion in the long-term. “The expansion allowed us the opportunity to add con- verting equipment that we could not even consider due to space constraints prior to the Progress Place build- SMC installed a Poteet Printing Systems ink dispenser.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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