to get into our industry, many are leaving as they age out. Hell, this old fart needs to go! How do we as an industry continue to grow and fulfill the great many things we are counted on doing, like producing the world’s most sustain- able package? It has to be with new technology and em- ployees skilled to master this new technology. “If I told you five years ago, we should be hiring young people skilled at Python you would think I was talking about snake charmers. The new employee we need will be very tech savvy and one that is extremely curious that wants to grow in a very tech savvy company because that’s who will be hiring and where these new entrants will be going. Wake up box people. “Here is something I heard at a CEO round table from our industry. ‘Our owner will not let us use Chat GPT.’ That company and many like will be either sold or bankrupt in the next three years or not sooner. Remember Animal House, ‘fat dumb and stupid is no way to go through col- lege.’ How about, blind is no way to continue on in the box business! I can’t say enough about this subject. “I end this ramble with this, next year is an election year and things have to be rosy even though below the surface they are a train wreck. Inventory levels are coming down. We will see a steadiness to our businesses, and we will have balanced the supply and demand with fair prices for what we need to be profitable and relevant for our clients. We have the most sustainable product on the planet and our clients are wanting us because we are so damn sexy now. Put the Box to Nature mark on every box you can so we can get those boxes back to recycle them again. Learn everything you can about the new technologies that are in front of us especially Industry 4.0, learn to understand these LLMs and automation opportunities that are being developed. “Lastly, get off you couch and write a big fat check to the ICPF so we can continue the mission in warping the bright minds of students to come into our industry. Quit be- ing so cheap and do it. If you don’t you might just have to get by via hiring the retreads of the industry (hot tip, they are retiring right and left) and continue going backwards into the very bright future ahead of us.” CAL BOX GROUP Santa Fe Springs, California: John Widera reports, “With the murderous war in Ukraine, Hamas terrorism, Chinese military build-up, climate change, nuclear weapon threats, etc., our days in 2024 will be clouded by a growing sense of uncertainty-broader and different. “How different? Instead of the typical garden variety crisis, some people are using the word ‘apocalypse’ to de- scribe the disenfranchised world economy. That is scary stuff if used as a way to control others or change them. “Apocalypse comes from the Greek for ‘uncovering,’ ‘unveiling,’ or ‘revealing,’ which makes it a word of possi- Converter Outlook: Part I (CONT’D FROM PAGE 28)
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
ADVANTZWARE www.advantzware.com
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.
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.
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January 8, 2024
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