BoardConverting Serving the North American Corrugated and Folding Carton Industries for 36 years September 21, 2020 VOL. 36, NO. 38
Getting The Job Done With New Technology BY JACKIE SCHULTZ
FBA: Shipments Slip In August
Industry shipments of corrugated products decreased 0.6 percent, from 33.495 bsf in Au- gust of 2019 to 34.285 bsf in August of 2020, the Fibre Box Association (FBA) reported. The decrease is partially due to the fact there was one less shipping day in August of 2020. Av- erage week shipments, however, increased 4.1 percent, from 7.840 bsf in 2019 to 8.163 bsf in 2020. Shipments of corrugated products are up 0.7 percent year-to-date. Containerboard consumption decreased 1.3 percent, from 2.8427 million tons in Au- gust of 2019, to 2.8061 million tons in August of 2020. Consumption is up 0.8 percent year- to-date over 2019, from 21.5716 million tons to 21.7415 million tons. Containerboard inventory at corrugator plants decreased 5.2 percent, from 2.0214 million tons in July to 1.9155 million tons in Au- gust 2020. Weeks of supply shrunk from 3.2 in July to 2.9 in August, or 9.4 percent. The American Forest & Paper Associa- tion (AF&PA) reported that operating rates increased from 89.4 percent in July to 92.1 percent in August. Kraft linerboard mills ran at 93.0 percent and the corrugating medium rate was 92.1 percent.
The Shelby Company has been manufacturing folding cartons for the Northeast Ohio market for almost a century. Founded in 1923 in Shelby, Ohio, it relocated in the 1930s to Cleveland. In 1968 it built and moved into its current 35,000-square-foot facility in the Cleveland suburb of
Westlake. Over the years folding cartons have remained the principal product, primarily for the food, pharmaceutical, and automotive indus- tries. The company also offers sleeves, blister cards, posters, counter displays and various other types of specialized packaging. During a recent Zoom video conference, President and owner Rich- ard J. Rapacz talked about the company’s successful long existence, attributing it to the core values of providing customers with “top notch service” and creative solutions. Rapacz, who purchased The Shelby Company in 1993, says the key is hiring people who have the qualities that align with those value propositions. “Empathy, a caring attitude, selflessness, those are important qualities. We want people in the com- pany to be responsive to co-workers and customers. We try to manage our company to a high degree of the Golden Rule – do unto others. Our current team all have that attitude.” Rapacz sets a good example, sending hand written letters to every prospect. He is gradually transitioning the leadership of the company to a new team of managers, some of whom have spent most of their careers in the folding carton industry and others who are new to the industry. Mat- At The Shelby Company, folding cartons are produced on five main machine lines, all of which can be monitored remotely.
WHAT’S INSIDE 8 Weyerhaeuser To Support Wildlife Relief In Northwest 10 Chicago Electric Establishes New Management Team 14 DS Smith Announces New Appointments Across U.S 38 Getting The Facts Straight On Ontario’s Blue Box
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