Davis Kuelthau will present
“Are Your Employees a Threat to Your Intellectual Property,” on May 4 from 8-10am at The Marq, 3177 French Road, De Pere. Seating is limited for this complimentary program.
Davis Kuelthau Presentation
Month: April 2022
Wisconsin Paper Industry – The End of an Era and What Can Be Done to Rebuild it!
Unrecognized Success
The Green Bay Innovation Group will be putting together an informal meeting to discuss the current paper situation to get a better understanding of the present and future of Paper Making in Wisconsin. If you are interested in participating, please contact me at: 608-698-3333 cell or email me at: martinpochs@gmail.com.
The Wisconsin Paper Industry over the past few years has changed dramatically and it will have major impact on the 5P, Converting and Supporting Industries. See China below!
- The Flambeau Paper Mill confirmed to me they no longer have any power to run the plant with the power being sold to another business! Simply, the three paper machines will probably be sold to foreign nations and we will have to import paper from them. The paper produced at the former Flambeau mill is currently on allotments with 8-10 weeks or longer lead times. Wisconsin has a large number of printers, envelope companies and converters in desperate need of uncoated offset papers that were produced at the mill! Guangdong Paper in XinHui, China is putting in a new high capacity fine paper making line to produce top-quality woodfree uncoated paper grades with the start up scheduled for 2022 with 2 million tons of pulp and 1 million tons of fine paper. China will be exporting the paper to the USA to the largest Printing and Converting companies in the USA! * Note: China has also purchased large printing presses from a Wisconsin based printing company along with increasing their pulp imports from Russia!
- Georgia-Pacific has shut down the its 121-year old Day Street Mill moving production of toilet paper, napkins and other paper products to other locations. The move will eliminate nearly 200 jobs and it is expected that employees with be able to get jobs at the Broadway Mill. Green Bay wants to thank GB for their other expansion plans in Green Bay with their new distribution center. Why can’t we get GB to build a new paper machine at the Day Street Mill instead of building plants in other states? China has expanded their tissue mills and they will be exporting products across the globe including the USA!
- Verso Corporation acquired by BillerudKorsnas based in Sweden with the Wisconsin Rapids mill future uncertain. The mill was a premier producer of commercial coated printing paper products in desperate need at this time with allotments and long lead times! Based upon discussions with a number of parties, the cost to get the mill back up in running is prohibitive. At some point, We expect it to end up selling the machines overseas or for scrap! Don’t be surprised if China buys it! We need to open up dialog with BillerudKosnas to look at potential opportunities to support the 5P Industries!
- ND Paper, the Biron Wisconsin mill will be converting its B26 paper machine at the end of 2022 from coated mechanical papers to lightweight recycled packaging paper products. The industry will lose 260,000 tons annually for end users like catalogs, magazines, inserts and other printed products. Wisconsin has a number of Publication and Catalog printers and they are desperate for printing papers and it will force a number of them out of business!
- Clearwater Paper closed the Neenah facility with approximately 300 people losing their jobs!
- Blackstone Tactical Opportunities acquires Sustana Fiber a De Pere, WI based company.
- Midwest Paper Group in Combined Locks sold to a Mexican-based company producing packaging grade papers.
- Appleton-based Appvion purchased by Wynnchurch L.P. a private equity firm which is based in Rosemont, Ill.
- Georgia-based Neenah Paper announced it plans to cease operations at its mill in Appleton.
- ST. Paper LLC: Andritz to supply high-speed tissue machine to St. Paper in Duluth, MN.
We see Paper Machines being built outside of Wisconsin and around the world. We are becoming more dependent on foreign paper companies especially for printing, labeling and converting papers. We will see more and more tissue products being manufactured outside the USA. Wisconsin was the leader in the world in paper production and innovation. Wisconsin is losing new facilities to other states and we ask why! Wisconsin has ALL the advantages to rebuild our paper industry with vast resources to support the industry. We need more leadership, financial resources, direction and a commitment to re-build the paper industry in Wisconsin with bipartisanship support! If not, our forestry, pulp, printing, converting and ALL of the industries supporting the paper industry will be in serious trouble and having a major impact on the Wisconsin economy!
Teel Plastics, LLC Awarded Plastics News Excellence Award for Customer Relations
Teel Plastics, LLC Awarded
Teel was honored as one of the the top two finalists for the Plastics News Processor of the Year Award in addition to receiving recognition for outstanding customer service.
For Immediate Release.
March 25, 2022
Earlier this year, Teel Plastics was named one of the five finalists for the Plastics News Processor of the Year Award, a top recognition of excellence in the plastics manufacturing industry. Applying for the award is a rigorous process involving written submission and in-person evaluation and interviews. Over the course of the evaluation, Teel Plastics was featured in a video on the Plastics News website as one of the five finalists.
The winner of the award was named at the Plastics News Executive Forum on March 23rd in Naples, Florida. As the finalists were counted down, Teel was among the top two contenders for the award before it was given to MMI Engineered Solutions of Michigan.
Teel was further recognized with the Plastics News Excellence Award for customer relations, a testament to Teel’s strength in customer service and relationship building. Teel’s customer relations were evaluated as judges reached out to Teel customers to discuss and evaluate Teel’s performance.
Teel’s president, Tom Thompson, also participated in a panel discussion at the Executive Forum with executives from the other four Processor of the Year finalists.
“We are very proud of what this award says about our people and the efforts they put into meeting customer needs,” said Christian Herrild. “We are willing to take on difficult problems and challenges to support our customers and help them achieve their goals.”
About Teel Plastics:
Teel Plastics is a premier manufacturer of custom extruded and injection molded plastic products due to the expertise of their distinguished, skilled team – a group of problem solvers known for being professional, progressive, and personable. Specializing in complex projects, Teel produces high-quality custom parts in a wide variety of sizes with tight tolerances.
Teel focuses on the medical, cosmetic, industrial piping, film core, and water treatment markets. In addition, there is a full-service analytical laboratory on campus. Founded in 1951, Teel is headquartered in Baraboo, WI. For more information, visit www.teel.com.
Bretting Manufacturing Co. – 400 MPM Singlefold Towel Interfolding Line
Press Release 7-March-2022 Ashland, Wisconsin –
C. G. Bretting Manufacturing is pleased to announce the launch of our 400 MPM Singlefold Towel Interfolder, a new high-speed, interfolding line.
The new Singlefold Towel Interfolder provides the highest towel production capability on the market today. This new platform is the result of years of research and development in mechanical folding and separation technologies.
The 400 MPM Singlefold follows a long legacy of quality machinery from Bretting, including Multifold and Tissue along with a wide array of napkin folders for both At-home and Away-from-home markets.
Let the Bretting expertise and innovation work for you. Please contact us to learn more about our latest Towel Singlefold line and how it can make your operations more productive.
C. G. Bretting Manufacturing Co., Inc. (“Bretting”) is a 132-year-old, fifth generation family-owned business located in Ashland, Wisconsin with 280,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space. Bretting is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and service of paper converting equipment along with contract machining. Absolut Manufacturing, LLC, located in Iron River, Wisconsin, is where we design, manufacture, and service nonwoven and paper bag converting equipment. We recently added a new 30,000 square foot building which includes office, manufacturing, and assembly space. T&T Manufacturing, LLC in Spooner, Wisconsin, another Bretting Company, provides high-quality machining and fabrication services.
C. G. Bretting Manufacturing Co., Inc. (“Bretting”) is a 132-year-old, fifth generation family-owned business located in Ashland, Wisconsin with 280,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space. Bretting is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and service of paper converting equipment along with contract machining. Absolut Manufacturing, LLC, located in Iron River, Wisconsin, is where we design, manufacture, and service nonwoven and paper bag converting equipment. We recently added a new 30,000 square foot building which includes office, manufacturing, and assembly space. T&T Manufacturing, LLC in Spooner, Wisconsin, another Bretting Company, provides high-quality machining and fabrication services.
Press Release: ASI HOSTS TOUR & NETWORKING EVENT, MARCH 2022
Networking Event
ASI, Division of Thermal Technologies, Inc., hosted a company tour and networking event at their facility on March 24, 2022. Located in the I43 Industrial Park in Green Bay, ASI showed off multiple drying systems they are currently working on that are used in a multitude of industries, including the battery, construction, and vinyl graphics and coating industries. More than twenty companies participated in the tour, which included a viewing of ASI’s assembly and fabrication floor, dress out area, as well as discussions on their dryers’ features and capabilities, including how they build all of their own electrical cabinets. The attendees also learned about ASI’s nearly 40 year long history, company culture, and their experienced engineers and manufacturing team, many of whom have been at ASI for more than 20 years.
ASI thanks everyone who participated in and attended this event and looks forward to hosting and attending similar events in the future.
ASI_Inquiries@asitti.com
920.468.5477 www.asitti.com
About ASI
ASI specializes in custom drying, curing, and cooling solutions for the converting and continuous process industries. We design and manufacture all of our custom drying solutions in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and serve all facets of the flexible web-based and continuous processing industries.
As an industry leader for over 36 years, our forced air convection systems employ a variety of web transport methods, including air flotation, roll-support, and through-air conveyor and belt dryers. All of our dryers are custom designed to meet the specific drying needs, control requirements, and spatial constraints of our customers.
We also have a dedicated service department that can assist with preventive maintenance visits, troubleshooting, spare parts, installation supervision, system startup, operator and maintenance training, and control upgrades and retrofits.
