Heritage Container (CONT’D FROM PAGE 38)
Folder Gluer, and a Bobst Die Cutter. Says Tom Gabriel, “Then I felt like was driving a Ford Mustang and I’m think- ing maybe I can be the race, but I’m still never going to win the race. We needed a new, fast and technologically advanced piece of machinery.” Within three months of Carlos Ponce’s return to Heri- tage in 2021, Gabriel knew what that new piece of machin- ery was and was able to “pull the trigger” on the purchase of a brand new Emba Q245 Ultima™ 43-inch by 96-inch 3-color Flexo Folder Gluer with full die cutter. “This was the car we needed to not only be in the race but to win the race,” says Gabriel. “Emba has a great repu- tation and we knew others in the area who had great suc- cess with them. We sat down with other manufacturers but because of Covid, most were dealing with 18-24 month lead times.” Emba was also dealing with a long lead time, but a potential customer that was scheduled for an installation pulled out of its commitment, leaving the machine avail- able for Heritage. The timing was right again. Eight months after signing the agreement in October of 2021, the com- pany’s new Q245 Ultima arrived in July 2022 and was assembled, tested, and running in about two-and-a-half weeks. Since its installation, the machine has been doing everything Emba’s people said it would.
ported him until he passed. But I have a grander vision. I want to grow Heritage Container to be an even bigger player in the market.” Gabriel uses a metaphor from the world of automobiles, for which he and his father shared a passion. Tom Gabriel says that in the past, Heritage lived in the “used equip- ment” arena and that he felt like he was in a race behind
the wheel of a Ford Pinto when everyone else was driving a Ferrari. “I can’t win that race,” he says. “I can’t even be in that race unless I’m driving the right car. In sharing my vision with Carlos, I said I love the family atmosphere of our company, but I don’t want to be a ‘Mom & Pop shop’ anymore. I want our company to be a world-class manu- facturer but one with a family-type atmosphere. I think you can do both.” The company’s employees agree. Through the past few years of its tremendous growth, Heritage’s employees have repeatedly told management that the “family atmo- sphere” was the most important thing to them. In crafting his grander vision for a world-class Heritage Contain- er, however, Tom Gabriel quickly realized his limitations. “I couldn’t do it by myself,” he says. “I needed support. I knew Carlos was well connected and we’ve been able to bring in a lot of talent, but becoming world-class meant having the right machinery, as well as the right tools for measuring success.” Which is why Heritage partnered with Amtech Soft- ware to provide real-time, live information and statistics. “We drive a lot of the KPIs we pull from Amtech to allow us to do everything from costing to production to receiving. We pull the data the way we want to see it,” says Ponce. “We’re now looking at Amtech’s Encore and Scorekeeper with the goal of creating our optimal workflow.” Emba: A New Car In The Race In the few years before Richard Gabriel’s passing, Heri- tage Container had purchased three pieces of used equip- ment: a McKinley 3-color 66-inch by 130-inch FFG Rota- ry Die Cutter, an Isowa 2-color 50-inch by 110-inch Flexo EAM-Mosca machinery accommodates the increased output of Heritage Container’s new Emba Q245.
The Ultima allows for faster set-up times than ever, en- abling quick and easy handling of multiple orders during a shift and its user-friendly interface puts the operator in control of the entire converting process – from feeding to stacking. In addition, the non-crush technology of the Ulti- ma platform preserves the strength of the board through- out the production process. “The dual slotting section has served us well,” says Ponce. “I’ve had the privilege of working with the machine before and it’s been a workhorse for us – it can run 500 hundred boxes a minute. We made a great decision in buy- ing it because not only did it help us transition some of our existing business, but it created many opportunities for new business. It was the exact machine we needed and it was available when we needed it.” Heritage Container’s Emba Q245 is equipped with four print- ing units - three bottom and one top - to satisfy the company’s growing base of e-commerce customers.
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April 24, 2023
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