American Box Co. (CONT’D FROM PAGE 28)
allowed us to start branching out. We also brought in a little litho and some digital into our mix and got into the display side of the business. And now with the surge in e-commerce, we’re doing a lot of inside-outside printing.” A Second Apstar American Box’s next investment is a second Apstar, a 3-color flexo folder gluer with a rotary die cut section scheduled for installation later this year and an Alliance load former for back end support. Due to the company’s rapid growth and the capacity needed now, however, the company is buying some other pre-owned equipment that will go on line as soon as possible. “Waiting until Q4 just isn’t feasible,” says Hayden. “We need instant support.” When the next 30,000-square-feet is added to the com- pany’s existing footprint and the new Apstar is installed, it will join a 63-inch by 124-inch 4-color Apstar with rotary die
cut section; an Emba mini-24-inch by 63-inch 2-color flexo folder gluer; an Isowa 66-inch by 150-inch rotary die cutter; a Koppers 50-inch by 113-inch 2-color rotary die cutter; a American Box Company continues to benefit from the innova- tion and reliability and of AG Stacker’s machinery and support.
converted – with the help of AG Stacker –50- inch by 103-inch Cooper 2-color flexo folder gluer, one of the company’s original machines; an S&S 38-inch by 95-inch 2-color flexo folder gluer; and two flatbed die cutters, one an FDC 1410 and the other, an FDC 1612. A new mate- rial separator and scrap system was installed in 2014 by Paper and Dust Pros of Kansas City and in 2021, American Box installed a BCM ink kitchen so it could do more custom blending and matching for more of its high-graphic jobs. The company will be well-positioned to manage the future growth that shows no signs of slowing. According to Hayden, some of the business has been organic and some is coming from new companies who are reap- ing e-commerce opportunities in the region, which in the last five years has become a mec- ca for warehouses and distribution centers. “We have the benefit of being centrally lo- cated. The abundance of containers moving through this area has created a lot of oppor- tunities for companies to come here and suc- ceed,” says Hayden. “Goods are also flowing in from overseas to be fulfilled and shipped from what is the geographic center of the country and some companies are moving here for just that reason.” American Box has four direct sales people and work with a network of distributors and brokers with whom it has maintained long- term relationships, which only leads to more business and growth. “We continue to grow our customer base more directly but there have been and still are, a lot of prominent companies in the Kansas City area,” adds Bradley. “My philosophy has always been that we should look in our own backyard first.
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March 28, 2022
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