AICC Hosts (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1 )
other companies. Never did I anticipate the year that lay ahead or that growth would be defined, not by a carefully implemented strategy, but by frenzy of marketplace demand that has framed our ability to keep up.”
Carman, the only AICC Chairman to serve for two years, noted the growth of the industry, despite the global pandemic. Box shipments increased a phenomenal 5.5 percent between June and July of 2020, following a year of essentially flat growth in 2019 and a 1.7 percent decrease in growth in 2018. “We’re concerned due to the sup- ply chain constraints everywhere in our system – from paper, to glue, to
Jay Carman
inks, and our lead times are stretching out further than we’d like to see. We’ll be focusing on all of that here at this year’s spring meeting.” Carman said the pandemic caused converters and businesses to create new ways of doing things. “In the plant and office, we’ve had to raise technology in the form of plant automation and working from home when possible. We’ve had to rely on virtual meetings and discus- sions and although it was certainly not ideal, we successfully navigated through it,” he said. “We’ve learned from each other, we’ve leaned on each other and we’ve maintained our focus, primarily through our partic- ipation through AICC activities. Although the AICC COVID calls and converter ‘Think Tanks’ were very successful, Carman noted that he hopes this does not become the new normal. “I am optimistic that because of what we’ve learned in the past year and how we’ve grown in the past year, that our industry can return to a semblance of normal person-to-person interactions with our employees and suppliers.” Carman closed his opening remarks, comparing this year’s meeting to the AICC meeting following the September 11th attacks, nearly 20 years ago. “You’ll remember back then that many people were fearful to fly,” said Carman. “AICC did not cancel their meeting, as a lot of other associations did at the time. Those that wanted to attend were thankful we made the decision. There was an increased camaraderie among us, almost like kindred spirits that have shared a difficult experience togeth- er. We appreciated each other’s presence and we were glad to be there. I feel the same way today, in the face of this pandemic, as I felt then.” AICC President Mike D’Angelo pro- vided an update on the status of the Association. “The staff and the board and the committees of AICC did a tre- mendous job keeping AICC program- ming relevant and successful and vital to our members’ interest. I’m so proud of the work that they’ve done in the past year. We will continue to do some of the things we’ve pivoted to, but we will also fall back into the in-person meetings and the things that are most important to this organization. AICC is projecting revenue to be a little under $3 million, which is Mike D’Angelo
Cosmo DeNicola Chairman, Amtech Software
Packaging ERP Algorithmic Scheduling Web-Based Access Online Customer Portals
Paperless Workflows Mobile Sales Systems Digital Signage Production Monitoring Mobile Logistics Management Analytics & Reporting Cloud Hosting IT Management Services Cyber Security Management
600 + Plants 60,000 Users North America Latin America
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May 3, 2021
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