Board Converting News, March 29, 2021

Board Converting News, March 29, 2021

BoardConverting Serving the North American Corrugated and Folding Carton Industries for 37 years March 29, 2021 VOL. 37, NO. 13

GBP Begins Production At New Recycled Paper Mill Green Bay, Wisconsin based Green Bay Pack- aging Inc. (GBP) announced that the first reel of paper was produced at its new paper mill on March 11, 2021. This milestone comes two and a half years after breaking ground. This success is the first step to reaching full pro- duction capacity. The $500+ million invest- ment has had a positive impact on Northeast Wisconsin’s economy and the environment. The new mill is in Green Bay at the mouth of the Fox River south of the Leo Frigo Bridge. “These are exciting times at Green Bay Packaging as we ramp up production on our new paper machine,” said Will Kress, Chair- man and CEO of Green Bay Packaging. “This is the single biggest project in our company’s history, and it certainly would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our in- ternal people and our many partners and sup- pliers working together to turn this dream into reality. Not to be overlooked are the many great customers we have, without whom this project would not have been necessary or feasible.” The construction and startup of the new Green Bay Mill will preserve more than 1,100

Rusken Packaging Continues Growth Through Consolidation BY LEN PRAZYCH Any boxmaker who has undertaken a plant consolidation project knows the level of communication, complexity and logistical precision that needs to happen for a successful outcome. Greg Rusk, owner of Cullman, Alabama based Rusken Packaging, an independent company founded in 1974 by Greg’s father, Bobby, knows the process well.

Having grown the Rusken brand to 14 facilities in seven southeast- ern states by a combination of deft acquisition and astute consolida- tion, it is the largest independent in the southeast, aside from Pratt Industries in Conyers, Georgia, where not coincidentally, Rusken’s lat- est consolidation project came to fruition in the midst of a pandemic, no less. Cameron Bailey, Rusken Packaging’s Project Engineer, assumed the monumental task of facilitating the move of the machinery and as- sets of Conyers, Georgia based E. Smith Box, which Rusken acquired in 2018, and Canton, Georgia based Mullen & Company, which Rusken acquired in 2019, to a 550,000-square-foot facility at 1475 Highway 138 NE occupied by its partner, Corrugated Supplies Company (CSC), which operates a pair of 110-inch BHS corrugators that provide all the containerboard a new sheet plant could possibly convert. (This model CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 The leadership team at Rusken Conyers: from left, Margaret Schlumper, Quality Manager; Steve Ingram, General Manager; and Susan Bracket, Cus- tomer Service Manager.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

WHAT’S INSIDE

6 x x 8 x x 12 x x 26 x x 4 The BoxMaker Breaks Ground On New Production Plant In AR Brunton’s ConneXion Wins Best Digital Exhibition Award 0 ICG Elects Keva Sonderen To Its Board Of Directors 1 FBA Cancels Spring Meeting, Offers Virtual Event In May

AVERAGE CONTAINERBOARD PRICES The average prices reported are tabulated from prices PAID by various sources throughout the United States the week previous to issue. Prices in some areas of the country may be higher or lower than the tabulated average. The prices tabulated here are intended only for purposes of reference. They do not connote any commitment to sell any material at the indicated average. Transactions may be completed at any time at a price agreed upon by seller and purchaser.

REGION E. Coast Midwest Southeast Southwest

42# Kraft liner $955.00-960.00 $970.00-980.00 $970.00-980.00 $970.00-980.00 $1000.00-1010.00 $973.00-982.00

26# Semi-Chem. Medium

Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del. Short Ton Del.

$890.00-940.00 $905.00-925.00 $905.00-925.00 $905.00-925.00 $925.00-945.00 $908.00-928.00

West Coast U.S. Average

SHEET PRICES BY REGION (AVERAGE) Per 1MSF, local delivery included, 50MSF single item order, truckload delivery. Sheets

E. Coast Midwest South-SW S. CA N.CA/WA-OR US Aver.

200# 275#

$62.26

$72.05

$62.69 $82.80

$85.35 119.54

$73.13 101.29

97.32

99.89

90.86

113.65

OYSTER UP-CHARGE 8.34

8.34

8.34

8.34

8.34

8.34

275# DBL-WALL 350# DBL-WALL

107.46 118.45

114.69 129.32

116.54 137.25 117.82 145.56

141.08 148.46

122.76 131.80

P E R F O R M A N C E D E L I V E R E D • HEAVY, DENSE BALES • RELIABLE AUTOMATIC TIER • LOW OPERATING COST PER TON AMERICAN BALER TAKES PERFORMANCE TO NEW HEIGHTS! 800.843.7512 AmericanBaler.com I N T E G R I T Y I Q U A L I T Y I R E L I A B I L I T Y I VA L U E

CANADIAN SHEET PRICES (AVERAGE) In Canadian Dollars, per 1MSF, local delivery included, under 50MSF single item order, truckload delivery. 200# 275# Oyster UC 275#DW 350#DW $78.56 $99.18 $9.00 $96.32 $105.83 CANADIAN LINERBOARD & MEDIUM The average prices reported are tabulated from prices PAID by various sources throughout Canada. Prices may be higher or lower in various areas of the country. The prices tabulated here are intended only for purposes of reference. They do not connote any commitment to sell any material at the indicated average. Transactions may be completed at any time at a price agreed upon by seller and purchaser. Prices are Canadian $ and per metric ton.

42# Kraft Liner 26#

Semi-Chem Medium

East West

$970.00

$960.00 $995.00

$1,015.00

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March 29, 2021

www.boardconvertingnews.com

The BoxMaker Breaks Ground On New Production Plant In AR

Core Competency

The BoxMaker, an all-in-one supplier of custom corrugated boxes, full-color packaging, retail displays, custom prod- uct labels, foam converting, fulfillment, and packaging supplies, has broken ground on a new production plant in Lowell, Arkansas, as part of a multi-million-dollar invest- ment to effectively address growing demand across the country for digitally produced packaging and displays. The 60,000-square-foot facility will produce full-color custom corrugated boxes and retail displays using indus- try-leading digital production equipment, including an HP PageWide C500 printing press and a fleet of high-speed tool-less digital cutting machines. The BoxMaker will be the first company in the U.S. to operate two C500 ma- chines, the first having been installed and operated in their Seattle, Washington plant since 2018. “The future of packaging is digital,” said Richard Brown, President and Co-Owner of The BoxMaker. “We are proud to be a leader in this space, having invested in digital print and finishing equipment for the past decade. Our ex- pansion into Arkansas will allow The BoxMaker and our e-commerce web-to-print platform, Fantastapack.com, to more effectively serve companies across the country in need of custom printed packaging with cost-effective CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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© Blower Application Company, Inc., Germantown, WI 2020

IT HAS ARRIVED

We’re proud to announce the new Moviroll MRE XS battery roll pusher is now available. The MRE XS is compact and handy, yet heavy-duty and easy to use. The free wheeling design make it the best solution for separating rolls. Equipped with a full-color LED display that provides instant feedback of power efficiency and battery usage.

www.cstsystems.net | 770-425-3353 Scan here to see a video of the product in action.

CST Systems is the exclusive distributor of Renova products in the US.

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March 29, 2021

A Century of Innovation In Every Machine Celebrating 100 Years: 1920-2020

FALCON 2-minute run-to-run times and world-class production @ 21K/HR

IBIS 2-minute run-to-run times and total product flexibility @ 15K/HR

www.isowa.com U.S. Based Sales, Parts and Service from Our New Expanded Location! United States: 602-639-9060 Brazil:+55 (11) 3666-6522 Japan: +81-568-31-3102 A M E R I C A

Vaccinating Your Employees BY MARY DRAIN

The BoxMaker (CONT’D FROM PAGE 4)

shipping and exceptional lead times.” In 2020, The BoxMaker announced their acquisition of Tango Press, an all-digital production plant for corrugated packaging and displays located in Springdale, Arkansas. Equipment and staff from the Springdale plant will begin working and operating out of the new facility being built in Lowell later this year. John Ballentine, former Owner of Tango Press and cur- rent Director of Trade Business for The BoxMaker adds, “It’s an exciting time to be a part of The BoxMaker. This new facility will greatly enhance our capacity to rapidly print and convert high graphics packaging for our clients and trade partners across the country, allowing us to be a powerfully adaptive part of their packaging supply chain.” Full production is expected to begin in Lowell on Sep- tember 1, 2021.

Over two million Americans are being vaccinated every day. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been in full effect since mid-December, but each state has different guide-

lines and the CDC’s recommended staggered approach limits eligibility so far. This makes it even more im- portant for your company to have a vaccination plan in place. There are two aspects to this: first, providing resources for those employees who want to get the vac-

Mary Drain

cine and second, educating workers about this prevention tool. If you haven’t done so already, I would encourage you to create an essential worker verification letter for the

COVID-19 vaccine. Click shrm.org for a sam- ple letter that you can customize for your employees. You can also make COVID-19 vaccina- tion part of your workplace wellness pro- gram. Consider implementing a workplace COVID-19 vaccination program by offering vaccinations onsite. Contact the health de- partment in your jurisdiction for guidance. By offering the vaccination onsite during work hours, it will encourage employees who may otherwise be undecided. And it emphasizes your support for your employ- ees and for how they’ve stepped up as es- sential workers to keep our nation’s supply chains moving during this pandemic. Additional considerations for hosting a vaccination clinic can be found in CDC’s Guidance for Planning Vaccination Clinics Held at Satellite, Temporary, or Off-Site Lo- cations and Resources for Hosting a Vacci- nation Clinic. If you aren’t able to offer vaccinations onsite, you can still educate employees about the benefits of vaccination and ad- dress common questions and concerns. The CDC has put together a toolkit specif- ically for this purpose. The toolkit has great resources including template letters to intro- duce COVID-19 vaccine educational activi- ties, free posters and factsheets that can be downloaded and printed. Most companies aren’t expected to make vaccinations mandatory for employees, but there are many ways to make it easier for your workers to get their shots. Manage- ment, human resources and labor represen- tatives should all be informed, so they can be part of the effort.

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March 29, 2021

40 ft of paper travel from preheater to hot plates 3 seconds of heat, glue and bonding 1 chance to get it right! the ZONE

Design & Production

Chicago Electric offers 10 technology solutions to control ‘the Zone’ CORRUGATOR Sectoral preheating plate

Our sectoral preheating plates provide direct heat by means of a double steam circuit, allowing for efficient heating in hard-to-access locations, as well as to act as a steam shower to open the paper’s fibre, making it receptive to absorbing the heat and the glue.

This translates into increased speed and improved quality of the cardboard sheet finish.

The system’s main advantages are as follows:

• The plate may only be used to heat, only to humidify, or both options at the same time. • The plate is sectored, which allows for applying humidity to the sections. • It provides temperature in previously inaccessible locations and near the location needed. • It compensates the loss of temperature dissipated due to distance, speed or limitations of the exiting preheaters. • Quick transferring of heat to the paper. • The combination of the hot plate and steam shower allows for providing heat even to the hardest papers to heat. • Does not dry out the paper. • Possibility of operating as a humidifier and pre-conditioner. • Maintains and improves the fibre’s elasticity. • Acts according to the operator’s needs. • Facilitates the paper’s hygroscopy to absorb the glue and improve rubberising.

CONTROLLABILITY

1. Wrap Arm - Position & Temperature 2. Preheater Direct Drive

DOUBLEBACKER IMPROVEMENT

3. Steam Plate 4. Contact Roll 5. Glue Machine Direct Drive Touch Productivity Issue—Glue Unit Many glue units run with a rider roll or a guiding bar system. The rider roll with paper gap allows a precise glue application, but requires frequent Contact Roll

PRODUCTIVITY

C/ Orfeó Català 13-15 · 08440 Cardedeu (Barcelona) telf: +34 93 846 01 06 · [email protected] WWW.AL-GAR.COM

DOUBLEBACKER IMPROVEMENT

calibrations and settings. Bar systems avoid this, but compensate this with the risk of exces- sive glue application. The system contains many wearing parts. Solution The contact roll combines the ad antage of both systems and ensures minimum contact between board and applicator roll. The system uses small pneumatic cylinders in order to achieve a “soft touch.”

6. Gap Control 7. Curved Plate 8. Roller Shoe Press When it comes to a short-term increas of web tension, spring loaded systems with shoes or airpressure activated system have problems in compensating these. The system is lifted for a short time. This may result in de-lamination and in the ‘double kiss’ effect. Solution For a defined and exact bonding point of the web fiv weight rollers will be installed usually over the first flat hotplate of the heating section. The rolls are mounted into a frame, which is actuated by means of two pneumatic cylinders. P oductivity Issu —Double Kiss Bonding

PRODUCTIVITY

PRODUCTIVITY

DOUBLEBACKER IMPROVEMENT

Roller Shoe

DOUBLEBACKER IMPROVEMENT

9. Thin Wall Hot Plates 10. Pressure System Benefits —Exact glue application due to defined contact of applicator roll to web. Web is in contact to less flute tips compared to bar systems. • High precision glue application • Less moisture applied to web —No wear of shoes and springs —No adjustment of shoes or paper gap —Uniform glue application over entire working width for all flutes by use of pneumatic cylinders instead of springs — Less contamination by paper dust and glue remains —No jam of board because of web breaks caused by splice joints going through 630-784-0800 Benefits —Rollers secure exact defined first point of contact of liner and single-faced board - No double kiss —Frame design avoids unintended lifting of roller shoe (compared to spring or air loaded systems) - No double kiss —Pressure can be increased or released for special grades or products 490 Tower Blvd., Carol Stream, IL Contact Chicago Electric to GET IT RIGHT 630-784-0800 [email protected] chicagoelectric.com Solution The ProPress system ensures an optimum heat transfer to the board. It offers a wide range of set- tings. The loadi g pressure can be varied, the number of shoes can be lifted in accordance t the line speed. The outer shoes can be lifted in accordance to the paper width. The shoe bars will be delivered pre-assembled for a short installation time. —Liftable for easy paper infeed and for cleaning of the machine —Position adjustable in paper direction to avoid grooves in hotplate Press Productivity Issue—Poor Heat Transfer Rollers are usually limiting the heat transfer, since they often have contact mainly on the edges of the plates due to wear or bent plates. They also cause often loss of caliper and bearing need to be replaced frequently. Airpressure actuated systems can only supply a limited pressure and have com- pared to shoe systems a closed surface. Pressure Shoe

Plate vity Issue—Poor Heat Control l hotplates are slow to react to pressure due to high steam volume and massive y also have high heat radiation and heat profile. Worn plates can damage crease edge crush.

Thin-Wall Hot Plates

t by peripheral drilled hot plates. anufactured out of special wear and nt steel, through which a continuous is drilled, with one inlet and one outlet. ecured by a massive steel frame.

CORR24usa.com

ance from steam to paper surface results in fast heat flow n higher plate surface temperature

Benefits

Brunton’s ConneXion Wins 2020 Best Digital Exhibition Award ConneXion, the packaging industry community launched by Brunton Business Publications Ltd last summer, was announced as the winner of Best Digital Exhibition 2020. The event was held virtually on Thursday, March 18. ConneXion had been “shortlisted” in the Best Digital Exhibition category, alongside a dozen leading on-line events that had been hosted in 2020. It was lined up against virtual events organized in many different sectors of industry from around the world to award “best-in-class” for webinars, product launches, podcasts and exhibitions. “We are delighted to have been recognized for our ground-breaking approach to bringing converters and suppliers closer together, especially at a time when peo- ple couldn’t travel,” said Dan Brunton, Managing Direc- tor, Brunton Business Publications Ltd. “It also adds mo- mentum to the next event, which will be held June 1-8. This second event will be open to corrugated and folding carton converters all over the world, enabling visitors to engage with suppliers in an easy-to-use, browser-based experience. But the most important thanks go to the part- ner exhibitors for their support of this novel event and of course, the many thousands of box makers from around the world who took the time to attend.”

Box Shipments ( U.S. Corrugated Product Shipments) Industry Shipments In Billions of Square Feet Month December 2020

Year

Actual

Percent Change Avg Week Percent Change

2020 2019

34.916 31.332

11.4

8.729 7.833

11.4

Industry Total

Year-to Date

December 2020

Year

Actual

Percent Change Avg Week Percent Change

2020 2019

406.776 393.483

3.4

8.071 7.838

3.0

Industry Total

Containerboard Consumption (Thousands of Tons)

Year

Month

Percent Change Year-to-Date Percent Change

2020 2019

2.7727 2.5660

8.1

33.0739 32.3005

2.4

Container Board Inventory - Corrugator Plants (Thousands of Tons)

Corrugator Plants Only

Date

Percent Change Weeks of Supply

Percent Change

Dec. Nov.

1.8921 1.7912

5.6

2.7 2.5

8.0

Shipping Days

Year

Month

Year-to-Date

2020 2019

20 20

252 251

SOURCE: Fibre Box Association

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March 29, 2021

ICG Elects Keva Sonderen To Its Board Of Directors

the ICG not only survive but thrive, and I am excited to learn from the other board members.” The next generation of ICG leadership rests in the ca- pable hands of brother-sister team of Kim Pearce, Assis- tant to the Executive Director, and Jay Willie, Executive Di- rector. Their father, Andrew Willie, was a founding member of the ICG and its Executive Director for 21 years. Kim Pearce reflects, “Keva will be a wonderful liaison for the ICG member companies and will bring a fresh, en- ergetic, and forward-thinking perspective to the organiza- tion.” Pearce encouraged Keva to run for the board and has given excellent guidance and support throughout the process. Jay Willie sees how Keva has positively impacted the growth of Sonderen Packaging and goes on to say, “the Sonderen family and its team have been supporters of all aspects of the ICG since 2003. I look forward to Keva having a role in the ICG leadership and leveraging her skills and experience that have contributed to Sonderen Packaging’s continued growth and success.” Sonderen was mentored over the years by two ICG women who were “daughters” taking over for their “found- ing fathers.” Jan Steiner paved the way for women in the folding carton industry when she took over for her father in the early 1980s and pressed for her company, Thoro Packaging, to become an early member of the ICG. Jan was an inspiration and mentor to Keva. She was famous for encouraging Keva to “Make Dust,” which refers to her

The Independent Carton Group (ICG), an association of 19 independently owned and operated folding carton manu-

facturers, has elected Keva Son- deren of Spokane, Washington, to the ICG Board of Directors, on March 4, 2021. Sondere will take the place of packaging leg- end and founding member of the ICG, Bob Zumbiel. “To acknowledge Women’s History Month, we are proud to announce that Keva Sonderen,

Keva Sonderen

of Sonderen Packaging recently made history as the first woman to be elected to the Independent Carton Group Board (ICG),” said Jay Willie, ICG’s Executive Director. “Keva began attending ICG meetings in 2005 with her fa- ther, Mark, when it was common to enter a room with a sea full of suits and balding heads. The actual meeting room was usually frigid because the men wore suit jackets.The ICG was founded in 1982, just one year before Keva was born. In 2020, Keva was nominated for a board seat. “It seemed like the right time for me to make this com- mitment,” said Sonderen. “I believe in the ICG and its mis- sion. It is imperative for the stability of the members that

CONTINUED ON PAGE 41

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March 29, 2021

THE NEW RD115/135S

The NEW KOLBUS Hycorr RD115/135S Flexo Rotary Die Cutter represents years of investment by the KOLBUS engineering team in Rahden, Germany and the Hycorr technical team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This cooperation, combined with the input from our customers, has resulted in the ultimate blend of quality, performance, and value. Designed with all corrugated markets in mind, the RD115/135S is well equipped for high throughput, quick make-ready, and high graphics print production. With a complement of new features and benefits to accompany.

KOLBUS America Inc. | 216-931-5100 | [email protected]

GBP Begins Production (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1 )

Green Bay Packaging jobs across Brown County and over 1,500 jobs in the state of Wisconsin. This investment positions the company to continue to grow its Wisconsin workforce while significantly increasing production capacity and product quality. In addition, the new mill will benefit the entire regional supply chain while operating as one of the most environmentally sustainable paper mills in the world.

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

“The team, led by Matt Szymanski, has done an outstanding job bring- ing this project in on-time,” said Bryan Hollenbach, Executive Vice Presi- dent of Green Bay Packaging. “This complex and intense project was com- pleted on time and will play a significant role in the future of Green Bay Packaging. The entire team did an outstanding job.” Green Bay Packaging furthered its long-term commitment to Northeast Wisconsin and Green Bay and partnered with local companies to design and construct the facility, driving a significant regional economic impact. Green Bay Packaging’s new 451,000-square-foot mill sits at the mouth of the Fox River, south of the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

600 + Plants 60,000 Users North America Latin America

  

Neenah-based Miron Construction served as the general contractor for the construction of the new mill. At the height of the project, there were over 1,150 workers on site daily. Through the end of February 2021, over 2.4 million labor hours had been worked to complete the project. Voith Paper was chosen as the full-line equipment supplier for this proj- ect. Voith Paper’s North American headquarters are located in Appleton, CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 Green Bay Packaging’s production team stand proudly in front of the first rolls of paper produced on machinery by Voith Paper.

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March 29, 2021

“We can help you adapt and optimize with our proven, agile solutions.”

Cosmo DeNicola Chairman, Amtech Software

URGENT NEEDS

IMMEDIATE SOLUTIONS

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