Month: January 2022

Georgia-Pacific Begins Work on Regional Distribution Center

The I-41 Business Park in De Pere is seeing the beginnings of a new occupant. Georgia-Pacific has begun construction on a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center that should be complete by the end of 2022.

The facility will warehouse and distribute products from several GP facilities, including tissue products such as toilet paper, napkins and paper towels from the company’s Green Bay Broadway mill. “Although this warehouse could have been built elsewhere in the Midwest, it made sense to locate it close to one of our largest plants in Green Bay,” says Jim Stauffer, GP senior director of warehousing. “The distribution center is a key piece of our supply chain, which will help our products reach customers as efficiently and timely as possible.”

Georgia-Pacific is investing more than $50 million in the new distribution center, which will feature 110 loading docks for trucks and capacity for more than two million cases of products. It will allow the company to consolidate the space it currently leases at four warehouses into one facility it owns.

Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading makers of tissue, pulp, packaging, building products and related chemicals. It has more than 30,000 employees at 180-plus locations worldwide and invests 90 percent of its earnings back into the business for growth. In Green Bay, GP employs more than 1,100 people in its four manufacturing facilities, as well as several hundred additional employees in business support roles such as engineering and customer service.

WEB HANDLING: The Keys to Optimal Control

Presentation on February 17th at 3-4 PM Discussion and drinks to follow 

Every manufacturer’s goal is precise, repeatable control. Whether you’re coating, printing or laminating, your winder plays a crucial role in overall efficiency. Tension controls are key to both the quality of the product and reliability of the machine. 

To better help our customers and business partners, Sure Controls developed a comprehensive web handling teaching tool, you can see here. 

Join GBIG and Sure Controls for an interactive presentation on Thursday, February 17th and we will cover the following: 

• Design & System Build 
• Selecting Components 
• Maintaining Optimal Control
• Diagnose & Repair

Location: Sure Controls Office – N981 Tower View Drive, Greenville, WI 54942 Parker is making T-slot aluminum 

Time: Presentation 3-4 PM, Discussion and drinks to follow. 

We have a limited number of spots available. To save your seat, make sure to assembly design. 

register at https://greenbayinnovationgroup.com/events/

Converted Products Inc. Acquires Equipment and HACCP Management Program

Milwaukee, WI:  Converted Products Inc., a custom converter since 1993, is excited to announce the expansion of their offerings in the food packaging/film slitting arena. CPI has acquired an additional duplex center slitter rewinder and 17-position spool winder.

Quality-Assured HACCP Food Packaging 

Along with these assets, CPI has teamed with Muse Food Safety Solutions to develop and implement a HAACP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) food packaging plan. Combining the additional line time with an HACCP food packaging plan allows for increased productivity. Additionally, the HACCP plan provides the assurance of meeting or exceeding the quality standards required for this market.    

“Today’s customers desire rapid turnaround and on-demand response time,” said CPI’s Vice President Jay Olszewski. “Investing in new equipment, maintaining a quality work force, and providing personal customer service prove to our partners that we are committed to meeting their needs. The additional equipment and our HACCP food packaging plan are great additions to our already robust list of service.”

Duplex Center Slitter

The capabilities of the duplex center slitter rewinder include:  

*  72” Max Width

*  32” Max Rewind OD

*   54” Max Unwind OD

*  Differential Rewinding

 17-Position Spool Winder

 The specifications for the 17-position spool winder include:  

*  18” spool width and 20” max OD

*  40” max unwind OD

*  Shear, Razor, and Score Cutting

*  Level and/or Taper Winding

* Side by Side or Overlap Winding 

Contact Us for Custom Contract Converting

Converted Products Inc. is a toll converter based in Milwaukee, WI. Founded in 1993, CPI is a fixture in the contract converting market and serves a wide array of industries both domestically and globally. CPI is ISO 9001:2015 certified and offers slitting/rewinding, hot melt laminating, and spool winding. To partner with a leader in innovative, custom-contract converting, visit convertedproducts.com or call 414-354-4433.

Key Actions to Fighting Inflation

Don’t tolerate being surprised with a large increase just days from your renewal. Your agent is likely avoiding a difficult discussion with you. 

After 16 consecutive quarters of commercial insurance price increases, there are several key actions buyers can be taking to eliminate, or at the very least, reduce the inflation in your insurance costs this renewal cycle: 

• Understand the paid losses on your account
• Know how to position your account correctly to an Underwriter
• Selecting the right carrier is key

As one of the largest family owned, independent insurance agencies in the Midwest, R&R also brings unique value to the table and will sit down with you and outline how to achieve your insurance renewal goals.  Not all agents take the time to fully prepare a renewal strategy nor outline a negotiation plan with carriers. At R&R Insurance, we do this better than anyone. 

If your commercial insurance renewal is approaching and you have not worked on a renewal strategy with your agent, or if you insurance premium seems too high, R&R Insurance can assist you with your strategy, understand your goals for renewal and plan your renewal negotiations.  It is not too late to explore better options!

We are The Knowledge Brokers™, let one of our commercial insurance consultants help you.  Give me a call or get more information at:  https://www.myknowledgebroker.com/

Matthew Prickette | R&R Insurance Services, Inc.
Commercial Insurance Consultant
Matthew.Prickette@rrins.com | MyKnowledgeBroker.com
phone: 920-585-6022

APPVION STRENGTHENS RESPONSIBLE FIBER PROCUREMENT WITH SFI CERTIFIED SOURCING

Appleton, Wisconsin, December 14, 2021 – Appvion Operations, Inc., a leading provider of advanced materials and  specialty coated solutions, has achieved Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) Certified Sourcing for their operation in  Appleton, Wisconsin, which was confirmed after an independent audit with internationally recognized third-party  environmental certification body SCS Global Services (SCS).  

“Appvion is dedicated to the long-term health and viability of our forests and is committed to responsible forestry  management practices. Given that about 90% of the world’s forests are uncertified, there needs to be a reliable mechanism to promote responsible procurement from non-certified lands. Our adoption of SFI Certified Sourcing  supports this level of responsibility,” said Graeme Hodson, Executive Vice President and President, Advanced Materials  and Solutions.  

Third-party certifiers verify Appvion’s responsible forest management and fiber sourcing practices to globally  recognized standards, including certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) for Chain of Custody, held  for nearly a decade, and the newly completed Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) for Certified Sourcing.  

“We enhance our commitment to sustainable forestry with the SFI Certified Sourcing achievement, which ensures our products flow through the supply chain with the confidence of legally sourced fiber,” adds Michelle Miller, Chief  Sustainability Officer. “We certify our entire fiber supply chain to ensure working forests for the future.” 

Appvion recognizes that encouraging responsible stewardship is one of the keys to protecting forestlands. As a fiber based products company, we rely on healthy and abundant forests in our operation. In 2022, Appvion intends to build  upon our SFI achievement and complete the SFI Chain of Custody certification. 

About the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.  

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative^®(SFI) is a sustainability leader that stands for future forests. SFI^® is an independent,  non-profit organization that provides supply chain assurances, produces conservation outcomes, and supports  education and community engagement. SFI works with the forest sector, brand owners, conservation groups, resource  professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous peoples, governments, and universities. SFI  standards and on-product labels help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI believes caring for forests  improves everyone’s quality of life. Learn more. 

About Appvion Operations, Inc.  

Appvion, founded in 1907, is a pioneer in material science, providing full-service specialty and high-performance  coating solutions. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, Appvion develops innovative, water-based, and  environmentally responsible coating solutions for consumers’ everyday life. Primary product offerings include direct  thermal paper and film solutions and renewable, fiber-based consumer and industrial packaging solutions. Appvion applies functional coating solutions to a variety of flexible substrates, including products from an FDA-compliant  facility. As a leading manufacturer in North America, you can count on Appvion to tackle your customers’ biggest  challenges. Connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn to learn more. 

Nine Dragons Paper and China

Editorial by Marty Ochs

Executive Director, Green Bay Innovation Group

Did you know that China has become the world’s largest producer of paper and paper products? The United States fell to second place. This shift in dominance is something to be concerned about.

China is having major issues with freshwater. Simply put, the availability of fresh water is becoming a crisis. A lack of freshwater negatively affects their manufacturing and their economy. China paper manufacturing will be very limited in growth due to the lack of water and natural resources. Their solution is to buy USA and Canada paper and pulp companies. In addition, they see ALL of the outstanding manufacturers in Wisconsin producing products for the Paper and Pulp industries. Next, China will be buying, investing and partnering with manufacturers in Wisconsin – which already has happened!

Isn’t it ironic that Nine Dragons Paper buys the Wisconsin Rapids Paper and Pulp Mill along with 3 other paper and pulp plants in the United States, gaining access to the American Great Lakes? The Great Lakes account for 21 percent of the Earth’s surface freshwater. In addition, the Great Lakes and Canada have vast natural resources for the paper industry. 

Currently, Vietnam is the largest woodchips supplier worldwide and to China. China shifted its purchase of additional softwood pulp from Europe, with fewer purchases from the United States. Currently, the USA will have no issues exporting our pulp to China, and China will continue shipping paper products back to the United States using our natural resources! 

In addition, China has stopped the USA and other nations from shipping our waste products, including paper, as a source for fiber leaving the USA with our garbage in the United States. It is much more cost-effective buying and building pulp and paper companies in the USA.  

The paper industry built Wisconsin! It is time that Wisconsin and the USA support Verso Paper Company and USA-based companies! If not, we will be dependent on Chinese who will control our Paper and Pulp Industries! China is investing in a long-term resource strategy, and the USA is looking at a short-term strategy based upon a return on investment!  

IN CONCLUSION:  

1. Nine Dragons Paper will have direct access to abundant freshwater and use our vast natural resources in the USA and Canada, without using China’s dwindling water or forest product resources.
2. ND Paper has exceptional access to supplying USA customers with pulp, paper, printing, packaging and our converting industries. 
3. ND Paper will be able to manufacture and supply pulp from America and Canada using our natural resources and ship it back to China and worldwide markets, avoiding duties and tariffs imposed upon them.
4. ND Paper can eliminate ALL the logistics of transportation of paper products to the United States with the high cost of containers and shipping by manufacturing the products in the United States. ND Paper will be supplying all kinds of paper that was in the past produced by American paper mills.
5. ND Paper headquarters is in Hong Kong and under the watchful eye of the Chinese Government. CNBC: China is building up its ability to weaponize trade, new report says, published March 17, 2021. China relies heavily on imports to meet its domestic demands for commodities.
6. China will continue to buy up America’s Paper and Pulp Companies.
7. China has and will continue to buy up or partner up with American manufacturers supplying the Paper, Pulp and Packaging Industries.

The Wisconsin Paper industry needs to take a page from the Nine Dragons playbook! Otherwise, the Paper Industry of Wisconsin will definitely lose its prominence in paper production in the USA.

It will have a major impact on the 5P, Converting, and our Forestry Industries! Understand, it is much more than just paper. The Wisconsin paper industry no longer has control of its future, because of the majority of ownership by national and international companies. There were two new acquisitions in Wisconsin by out-of-state companies this past month!  

Wisconsin was built on paper, and we will have to decide its future together. The Green Bay Innovation Group will advocate and support paper. GBIG will continue to educate our industries, government officials, organizations and the people of Wisconsin on its impact on them! 

We need to support ALL paper companies to expand their presence in Wisconsin. We need to build new paper and pulping facilities! WEDC and WPC have done a great job supporting the 5P and Converting Industries, which are the backbone of the Wisconsin economy. Let’s rebuild the Wisconsin Paper Industry. 

GBIG will continue to supply more data on the impact of the 5P and converting industries through our bi-weekly newsletter – www.gbignews.com. You can sign up for FREE. We welcome your feedback. 

For more information on the Green Bay Innovation Group, go to: www.greenbayinnovationgroup.com. In addition, if you have updated articles on the 5P industries, please forward them to us. 

We have a number of articles on Nine Dragons Paper Company based out of Hong Kong with a special section below called ND Paper. ND Paper started in 1995, built on waste paper from the United States. It is a story of success built by a true entrepreneur overcoming many challenges to become one of the largest paper companies in the world.

I have included a financial overview and financial graph of ND along with some other major USA based companies which tell the true story of the USA industry. The USA has moved to the No. 2 position in paper production. Unless we reinvest and reverse the trends, we will continue to decline across the USA and the world. Wisconsin can make the difference for USA production with vast resources to support the Paper Industry.

We need to learn from Mrs. Zhang Yin, CEO of Nine Dragons, who started the company with nothing and became one of the richest persons in greater China. She started by buying scrap paper from the USA and imported it into China. She turns it into cardboard for use in boxes to export Chinese goods. She became known as the Queen of Trash. China determined it would stop waste from the USA and others, which included paper products. Mrs. Zhang Yin was dependent on recycled, cheap pulp!  Therefore, she purchased paper and pulp companies in the United States without the trash! Her net worth is $1.8 billion dollars in 2021, owning one of the largest publicly traded paper companies in the world!