Welch (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
most efficient use of the plant's equipment. “As the plant grew, we needed to right size our ma- chine utilization to run true 35- inch work on the 35-inch machine,” Welch explained. “That prompted us to look for a modern mini.” Rather than replacing the aging mini because it had reached the end of its useful life, Welch zoomed out and evaluated how the work moved through the entire oper- ation. The goal was to create a production strategy that allowed every machine to do the work it was best suited to perform. Of course, speed was part of the equation. The 35-inch machine responsible for many of the smaller-format jobs was limited to 300 boxes per minute, creating an oppor- tunity to improve throughput while making better use of existing assets. As planning continued, the vision evolved into creating a dedicated long-run mini capable of sustain- ing high production speeds on smaller boxes, freeing larg- er equipment to return to the applications it handled most efficiently. Finding The Right Partner Reflecting on the vendor selection process, Welch said, "We expressed to every potential vendor that we intended to run the machine at maximum speed from the very first box.” As it happened, the vendor that would help move the project forward was already in the room: “LMC and SUN accepted that challenge. We felt that to achieve our goal, we needed a vendor that would be our partner, not just sell us a machine." Michael Klear, President of Corrugated Solutions and representative for SUN Automation Group, has had a years-long relationship with Welch Packaging, having pre-
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viously supplied consumables and supporting other projects throughout the plant. That famil- iarity proved to be an advantage, giving Klear a deep understand- ing of how Welch approached production challenges and what the team hoped to accomplish with this next investment. Around the same time Welch
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began evaluating vendors for a new mini, Klear knew an LMC machine was already built and available for immedi- ate delivery. With the company hoping to have the equip- ment installed before the end of their fiscal year 2024, the timing created an opportunity worth exploring. The ma- chine itself also checked the right boxes. Its full-servo ar- chitecture provided the repeatable, high-throughput flexo converting Welch was looking for in a dedicated long-run mini. Having a machine available accelerated the project, but availability alone was never the deciding factor. Rath- CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
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20 July 20, 2026
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