AICC Roundtable (CONT’D FROM PAGE 30)
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
They’re fantastic equipment. But the supply of the sheets is critical. Jones: George, have you seen expectations change from the customers when it comes to digital over the past seven, eight years? George: I think managing your customer expectations is pretty crucial. When we first went to market, the expec- tation was basically litho perfection. When you’re inkjet, spraying down ink at 60 to 70 meters a minute, even faster than that today, it’s really hard to print 5,000 sheets and have every single one look exactly the same. So we’ve had to help manage client expectations. One of the ways in which we’ve done that is we printed samples, a whole bunch, and they’re not perfect. Those are the samples that we take to our customers and show them. Because what we found is when you print perfect samples, the customer expects a perfect product. We’ve had to help change what the expectation is with our cus- tomers through showing them samples that are more real- istic to what the production is going to give them. Jones: Chad, if you could rewind time. Is there anything you would do differently in your digital journey? Wagner: The only thing I probably would have changed is we probably would have done it sooner, to be honest with you. We have no regrets, and we push forward, and it puts us in so many conversations across the country to sell our products that I’m really surprised how many doors have opened up just so we can sit down and talk about this technology and what it may or may not be able to do for clients that we cold called on forever. We can do their work on our “Göpfert, but they didn’t want to talk to us that time. It must have been just ad nauseam. Too many people calling to talk, but when we start calling to talk about digi- tal, they take our calls. AF&PA Releases September 2025 Packaging Papers Monthly Report The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) re- leased the September 2025 Packaging Papers Monthly report on October 16. Total packaging papers & specialty packaging ship- ments in September increased nine percent compared to September 2024. They were essentially flat (+0.5 percent) when compared to the same nine months of 2024. • The unbleached operating rate increased to 88.0 per- cent, reaching its highest level over the last 15 months. • Bleached food wrapping shipments were up 6 percent from last September, and up 8.4 percent year to date. • Total inventories were up 5.9 percent from the same month last year. A subscription to the complete detailed report can be purchased by contacting Kory Bockman at Statistics_Pub- lications@afandpa.org or (202) 463-4716.
THE HAIRE GROUP www.hairegroup.com
Haire Group is the premier provider of new machinery for the corrugated industry. From the Apstar line of flexo folder gluers and rotary die cutters, the Encore line of flexo folder gluers and rotary die cutters, and the Engico flexo folder glu- er, Haire is able to pair clients with the best machinery solu- tions for the best value to meet their needs. Haire Group’s service department helps its customers maximize uptime and profitability through superior 24/7 service and support, a pre-install training center, and over a million dollars’ worth of spare parts at their offices just outside of Chicago. Haire Group has been the industry’s #1 pre-owned machinery bro- ker and plant equipment appraiser since 1976. HarperLove is the leading provider of specialty adhesives, performance additives, and wet-strength resins to corru- gated packaging manufacturers. With the largest and most experienced field service and technical support team posi- tioned throughout the U.S. and Latin America, HarperLove has a long-standing reputation for providing outstanding service and delivering demonstrable performance improve- ments. HarperLove’s renowned services include not only innovative product development and custom product for- mulation, but also machine and process assessments, ad- hesive formula adjustments, machine tuning, detailed ser- vice reporting, and more. HARPERLOVE www.HarperLove.com Kernic Systems has been a leading global provider of re- cycling equipment solutions since 1978. For over 40 years, Kernic Systems has provided balers, air conveying and dust collection systems, shredders, industrial vacuums, and re- cycling equipment to a wide range of markets. Today, Ker- nic Systems serves customers with an expanded offering of standard products and custom-engineered systems through three primary business divisions: Recycling Solu- tions, Dust Collection and Air Pollution Control, and Material Handling. Kiwiplan provides state-of-the-art software solutions to cor- rugated, folding carton, plastics and flexible packaging fa- cilities around the globe. Kiwiplan’s Total Solution delivers comprehensive, seamless real-time flow of information from sales order management to dynamic total plant scheduling and inventory control through shipping. With deep manu- facturing and distribution expertise, Kiwiplan knows the specific problems customers face and provides the spe- cialized software they need to adapt, compete, and win in today's rapidly changing world. KERNIC SYSTEMS www.kernicsystems.com KIWIPLAN www.kiwiplan.com
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October 27, 2025
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