Read the February 28th, 2024 Green Bay Innovation Group Newsletter here.
February 28th, 2024 Newsletter
Month: February 2024
GBIG NEWS | 84 Stories and Links on the Internet 2/28/2024
GBIG News
Get links to the latest news, events, stories, and interviews from our 5P news sponsors. Our goal is to remind the decision-makers in Wisconsin of the importance of our industry both historically, and more importantly, into the future.
Read the latest 84 Stories and Links on the Internet below.
Featured Stories
- BCLP LAW: Insights in Food Packaging State by State Regulations
- UW Madison ranks 39th in worldwide reputation supporting key industry and manufacturing growth across Wisconsin.
- Mohawk Fine Paper sold to Italian firm. The Great sell off of America’s Paper Industry continues.
- pfas in Wisconsin lawsuits involve complex science can be worth millions?
- Environmental group alleges illegal logging in Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest
- Iowa State University Partners to Industry and other Universities on PFAS
- Unwrapping the complexity of pfas in food packaging
- Evers Announces support available for many Northern Wisconsin Businesses affected by lack of snow.
Events
- Extra day extra security with n-tech
- Worlds Futures day March 1 2024 in Green Bay
- The New North Summit June 6, 2024 a can’t miss event.
- St. Norberts College CEO Breakfast with Barb LaMue New North, Inc.
- Wisconsin Tech summit set for Lambeau Field March 11
- INDA: World of Wipes international conference 2024 in Minneapolis
- Women in the 5P Industries Social Networking
- Coalesce Marketing Celebrating 20 Years!
- Wisconsin Tech Council Summitt at Lambeau Field
PFAS
- EPA Leader says agency committed to finalizing pfas standards in drinking water.
- US tap water has a $47 billion dollar problem
- AJ Jeninga’s building a better response to pfas contamination
- Study finds microplastics in nearly all American proteins meat, fish and plants.
- Upcoming pfas restrictions will pose challenges for industries across the board
- Tea bags and processed meats may be key dietary sources of pfas
- Nonwovens: Upcoming pfas restrictions will pose challenges for industries across the board
- pfas: How research is uncovering damaging effects of forever chemicals
- pfas filters ranking removing PFAS
- New Paper on pfas in Wisconsin waters
- GOP Bill would let standards move forward for pfas in groundwater
Converting
- Converting Technical Themes: These times are definitely exciting in a new era.
- Cristian Giulini VP Converting Solutions: How is AI changing your business.
- Service Plus: What is Paper Converting anyway.
- Converted Paper product manufacturing establishments from 2010 – 2020 on a downward trend. Wisconsin is a leader in paper Converting.
Plastics
- Recycling plastics simply not enough
- 3 Plant based service warehouse deliciously diverting plastic waste
- ByFusion: New startup turns plastic trash into construction grade blocks
- Can we take out forever chemicals out of forever?
- New class of recyclable polymer materials could reduce plastic waste
- Bacteria can break down pet pollution in Ocean Water
- Florida trash waste combustion facilities for energy
- Plastic Life Cycle costs overwhelming fall on poor countries
- Plastic out of thin air.
- New catalyst completely breaks down durable plastic in minutes
- Explore the 10 Top Plastic Recycling Examples in 2023 – 2024
- Research points to water treatment plants removing significant amounts of microplastics from Lake Erie
- Circular economy dream? New plastic legislation threatened by low rechclate availability
- Plastic eating enzymes could supercharge recycling and eliminate billions of tons of landfill waste.
- Senate digs into plastic pollution
- EPA weighs in on cuts to single use plastic production
Education
- UW Madison part of effort to advance fusion energy
- UW Madison Engineering ideas make their way across Wisconsin and everyone wins
- UW Stevens Point: Sustainability at Point
- Michigan Tech recognized by the NCAA for academic success
- UW Stevens Point professor receives grant guides students in molecular research
- 14 UW Madison students win fulbright awards
Sponsors
- Sure Controls: Control panels the key to effectively monitor protect control.
- EMT Label Products
- A closer look at Evan Arnold President at Glenroy.
- Anderson-Vreeland: Flexo water-based plate
- JP Morgan Chase: The coast is clear investing amid a rally and there are promising signs.
- Boldt: A very successful 2023
- OMET targets growing flexible packaging space.
- PCMC: The only packaging center focused on flexographic printing and converting.
- Erhardt-Leimer offering solution for different industries
- Trees For Tomorrow one tree can filter 60 lbs of pollution.
- BW Converting platform supports investments in Baldwin brand
- K & L: Your leader in converting
- JP Graphics:Powerful Marketing Stats for packaging in 2024
- Inland Packaging: From a local supplier to a global partner
- Eagle Performance Plastics: The Benefits of Plastics
- Curt G. JOA: Revolutionizing packaging manufacturing the pulpac modula machine dry molded fiber.
- First Business Bank News $3 billion in private wealth assets
- Involta: Wisconsin emerges as thriving tech hub
Prophit Co. Unveils New Identity
Green Bay, Wis. (February 19, 2024) — Just as Prophit Co. launches into its 22nd year in business, along too comes a technology launch and new company name to match it: Dignify!
Previously a marketing firm, Prophit Co.’s focus shifted to leadership development in 2020.
CEO of Dignify, Joe Kiedinger, said of the name change, “We’re aligning our new name with our mission of spreading dignity-based communication to the world.”
Dignify is doing just that through its namesake patented technology, Dignify®, and their team of world-class coaches and trainers. The transformative leadership development and communication platform has just gone through a significant update with enhanced features— and more due to roll out in 2nd and 3rd quarter—like an online learning academy, customizable surveys and a companion app for enterprise accounts that allows leaders to provide quick recognition that dignifies and motivates their direct reports. Dignify is also translated in Spanish and French to serve a greater range of national and international clients.
The company’s core services will not be changing. It will remain the same local, Green Bay team providing leadership training, executive coaching, team building events and strategic planning—now with enhanced technology capabilities.
Kiedinger continued, “Leadership is changing quickly as the workforce shifts generationally. We make it easier for companies adapt to that change with solutions for culture, conflict resolution, training, engagement and more—all to create sustainable, profitable growth.”
For more information, see www.dignify.com or contact Marketing Manager, Lauren Hitt at laurenh@prophit.com.
Dignify was founded in 2002 under the name J. Kiedinger Advertising by Joe and Danica Kiedinger of Green Bay. Dignify is a software as a service (SaaS) company that builds confident leaders and healthy cultures through a focus on human dignity. Dignify currently serves a mix of clients in the construction services, manufacturing and banking industries—spanning from Texas to Canada and Europe.
Study Documents Contaminants from Food Process Wastewater
While years of research have shown that municipal wastewater is a source of contaminants to the environment, lesser is known about industrial wastewater. For instance, there are over 5,000 food, beverage, and feedstock facilities in the United States that hold National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits; however, these wastewaters are not typically monitored for organic chemicals, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), before they are discharged into “water of the United States”.
Laura Hubbard and her team at the U.S. Geological Survey investigated food process wastewater (FPWW) from 23 facilities in 17 states and analyzed for 576 different organic chemicals, including pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and volatile organic compounds. They also searched for microbial substances like bacterial growth, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and antibiotic-resistance genes, as well as inorganic materials like nutrients, cations, and anions.
Hubbard’s research, published in 2022, showed that the tested (and anonymous) FPWW contained both chemical and microbial contaminants with a different profile than other known sources such as municipal wastewater. A total of 186 organic chemicals were detected with up to 48 detected in one sample. This study was the first to summarize contaminants released from FPWW.
The facility-specific results were disseminated to each the facilities, providing extensive data to aid them in future planning and management/mitigation. The results assisted one facility in decisions related to upgrading their fire suppression system to reduce discharge of PFAS into the receiving stream. If you’d like to get involved, or want to know more about this study, please contact Laura Hubbard, lhubbard@usgs.gov, 608-590-9881
The Digital Opportunity – Wide Format Print and More! – Part 3
In January, we wrote in the GBIG Newsletter about the “Digital Opportunity” and the reason that print manufactures should consider this growing segment. In this third segment we will review digital inkjet print to rigid flatbed systems and hybrid/specialty technologies. Investing in a flatbed printer will allow you to print on a wide range of rigid materials. Many printers come with a roll-to-roll option that gives you the best of both worlds allowing you to print on both flexible and rigid materials.
Printer models are now available in a multitude of sizes with the ability to print very small to down to 0.5” x 0.5”. Flatbeds are available at 18” x 24”, 24” x 36”, 50” x 55” and up the traditional industry standard of 4’ x 8’ and even larger at 8’ x 10’.
Flatbed printing systems can produce applications beyond typical display graphics, including backlit displays, high-end wall coverings for public and private spaces, dimensional prints, floor graphics, event signage, glasswork, architectural elements, fine art, or nearly anything that your imagination can conceive.
Flatbed printing technology uses either Latex or UV-curable inks. Ink chemistry continues to advance, providing expanded color gamut, high image quality and vibrant output. Overcoat for Latex ink and Varnish for UV inks enhance adhesion, gloss finish and scratch resistance.
A newer and rapidly growing application is thermoforming. Latex inks bring considerable advantages to printed thermoforming applications due to its flexibility and temperature resistance. It can provide thermoformed prints with rich, deep colors that don’t fade when stretched into deep-draw forms. A wide range of substrates can be used in thermoforming, and the end product can range from prototypes, point-of-sale material, full graphics trays for commercial packaging uses and blister packs for industrial parts.
You will generally find that printing using flatbed technology will save you money on consumables. A flatbed printer can print directly onto unfinished or uncoated materials, reducing the need for additional processing steps. With flatbed printing, there’s no need to print onto vinyl or paper surfaces which a traditional roll-fed printer requires. The elimination of these additional steps, plus the materials and labor required to mount and laminate, ultimately results in faster turnaround times and lower production costs for your shop.
At Big Systems, our Service Mark is “Print Brilliant.” We do our absolute best to help our customers improve their workflow and print results every day. Big Systems is a dealer of wide-format equipment, supplies, software, installation, repair services and specialty applications. We are located in Menomonee Falls, WI.
Joe Jones – President
Brand owner Small Pet Select Transforms Packaging with Digital Printing
Small Pet Select is a family-owned company that provides farm fresh essentials for your small pet, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and more. One of their main products is Timothy Hay, and each bundle of hay is hand-selected from the very best farms in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Small Pet Select’s ship cases have traditionally served the purpose of simply transporting product to consumers’ doorsteps, however, that has all changed. Now their ship cases tell a story. Each panel of the box delivers a vibrant message… from it being ‘hand-selected, hand-packaged, and hands-down best’, to nutritional facts, to awards won, to the family’s story of how the company began, to QR codes which enable customers to upload videos of their unboxing experience, and more. What was once an understated box is now a highly decorated, interactive brand with beautiful colors, graphics, and messaging that enhances the customer experience.
Their new packaging naturally encourages the consumer to interact with all six panels of the box, while completely elevating Small Pet Select’s brand to a premium level… equaled only by the product inside the box. And this packaging transformation has taken place because of digital printing produced on the Domino X630i at Independent 2 in Louisville, Kentucky USA.
We caught up with Josh Price, product buyer at Small Pet Select, to learn more about their business, their partnership with Independent 2, and the benefits of digital printing delivered by the Domino X630i digital aqueous inkjet corrugated press. Independent 2’s Finn MacDonald and Devin Danehy visited with us as well.
Their story was captured in this VIDEO: Small Pet Select, Independent 2, & Domino
Premium products for your small pets
Josh Price begins, “We are small family-owned business delivering the freshest and most premium products for your rabbits, guinea pigs, and chickens. And we pride ourselves on having the very best Timothy Hay in the world. That is a mission of ours here at Small Pet Select. We are located in Louisville, Kentucky with a 46,000 square foot facility, and
all of our products are sourced in the Pacific Northwest, which has the best product and the best climate for growing our Timothy Hay. Our hay is fresh. It smells good. It’s green. And it’s also packaged in a 100% biodegradable breathable box which is recyclable and good for the planet. And Newsweek named Small Pet Select one of America’s best pet brands. We are proud to display that on our boxes.”
continued on next page
The partnership
Devin Danehy, sales partner at Independent 2 says, “We have been a partner with Small Pet Select for somewhere around seven or eight years now. It started out as a couple of die cut boxes, some simple RSC’s, and to date they probably have somewhere between 30 to 40 different SKUs and 95% of them are all off of our Domino. It’s all digital print. They are rocking and rolling and we’re happy and blessed to be a part of it.”
Finn MacDonald, president of Independent 2 adds, “Our vision was relatively simple. Diversify from brown box, but do it in a way that would deliver consistent value and quality to our customers. And it was something that was achievable for us to manage every day. When Domino came out with the X630i single-pass aqueous based digital press, we said ‘that’s it’.”
The beauty of digital printing
Josh says, “The beauty of digital printing is that we are able to change and adapt on the fly. With our old box, we only had three colors. With the new art of digital printing, we are able to use many different colors and tell many different stories and change out on a frequent basis. If we want to run different themed boxes, we can certainly run those now at a much faster pace than using flexo in the past, and it has really elevated our business to the next level.”
Devin adds, “Independent 2 likes to be in front of the marketplace and with customers like Small Pet Select, we’re able to raise the bar and stay ahead of the game.”
Going above and beyond
Josh concludes, “Independent 2 is more than a partner. They go above and beyond to help us achieve our goals. They provide great solutions. They’re very fast, quick, and responsive to any needs that we might have. We take great pride in the products that we bring to market, and we take great pride in the packaging that we use to bring those products to market.”
Domino is a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions. Celebrating its 46th year in business, Domino is a global organization with world headquarters in the UK, and North America headquarters in Gurnee, IL. Domino has 25 subsidiaries, representation in over 120 countries, and over 3,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Domino digital printing, please visit dominodigitalprinting.com
North America Headquarters
1290 Lakeside Drive
Gurnee, IL
T 847 244 2501
F 847 244 1421
dominodigitalprinting.com
Lowering The Pm.25 Would Severly Harm The Forest And Paper Industry
Based up a report from the American Forest & Paper Association, lowering the PM.2.5 NAAQS would severely harm the Forestry Products, Paper Manufacturing, and Pulp Manufacturing in the USA. The EPA rule delivers a devastating blow to U.S. Manufacturing and the economy without a clear path to achieve it. We are very concerned that many of the modernization projects in the USA will be put at risk! The Clean Air Act which was amended in 1990 by setting the standards for six principal pollutants including fine particulate (PM.25). On January 27, 2023, the EPA published a proposed rule to revise the annual PM.25 standard from its current level of twelve micrograms to a lower-level preferred range of 9 or 10. Under current EPA proactive, the standards would immediately apply, giving industry no time to plan for the new standard. Simply, there would not be sufficient permit headroom to obtain a permit. Pulp, Paper and Wood products mills account for less than 1% of the total 2020 PM emissions. The U.S Forest Products industry supports about 925,000 jobs and the Paper Industry has approximately 43,000 employees in 2023 in the USA. Wisconsin has 8,194 people employed in Paper and Pulp Manufacturing. We are witnessing the number of employees in the USA 2011 at 65,040 and 48,364 in 2022 based upon statista. Based upon a recent Oxford Economic analysis found that the proposed standard would reduce U.S. GDP by $200 billion and cost as much as one million American jobs through 2031. It would create a perverse disincentive for American Investment or send American Investments to foreign countries. The evolving and uncertainty regulator burden is at odds with the goal of modernizing and growing U.S. manufacturing. Wisconsin has over 19 Paper Mills that are 50 to 100 years old and without investment, we will continue to see a decline and shutting down of the current plants. The NEW rule could be the final deathblow to Wisconsin. As a State, we need leadership stepping forward protecting our Paper and Pulp Industry in Wisconsin.
It is imperative, the Environmental Protection Agency, the White House, The State of Wisconsin, and our industries strike a balance that achieves sustainable regulations while supporting American Manufacturing.
The new standard represents the first tightening of the rules since 2012. Decades of research have demonstrated that tiny particles are dangerous to people’s health at any concentration. The new standards are still well above the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter averaged over the years. The air in the U.S. has improved significantly since the 1970 Clean Air Act first began to reduce outdoor air pollution.
Converting, Coating & Sustainability Event On April 17, 2024
COST: $50.00 – Register by going to: www.greenbayinnovationgroup.com/events.
WHERE: Miron Construction 1471 McMahon Dr. Neenah, WI 54956
SCHEDULE:
- Check-in: 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
- Speakers – 8:30 – 3:00 p.m.
- Lunch – 12: 00 – 1:00 p.m
- Networking – 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
SPEAKERS:
- PAPER CONVERTING MACHINE COMPANY – Rodney Pennings
- PROCON – Kelly Helein
- PIXELLE SPECIALTY SOLUTIONS – Dave Magda
- HOFFMASTER – Mark Hunter
- Charter Next Generation – John Garnett
- Miron Construction – Dan Goyermac and Blake Titus
- Cargill – Dave Garlie
The Wisconsin Converting Industry has the of the largest concentrations of Converters & Packaging Companies in the United States. Our speakers represent varies companies in converting, coating, laminating, film, flexo printing, packaging, paper, food and water.
The Topics Include:
- Sustainability
- New emerging technologies
- Robotics Automation and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
- Coating
- Material innovations and renewablies
- Slitting and Rewinding updates
- Substrates: Paper, Film, Plastics & Non-wovens
- Food
- Water
SEAWAY PRINTING ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE PROMOTIONS
CHAD OBERMANN: VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Main: 920-617-7645
Seaway Printing is thrilled to announce the promotion of Chad Obermann to the role of Vice President of Business Development. Chad joined our team as the Director of Business Development and has played a pivotal role in driving the continuous growth of our company. With a 25-year history in the printing industry, Obermann boasts an exceptional track record of cultivating relationships and providing innovative solutions to support the print needs of our clients.
As the VP of Business Development, Chad will oversee all Revenue and Market Development initiatives, ensuring they are aligned with our long-term business objectives. His commitment to excellence makes him the ideal candidate to lead our business development efforts into the future.
SCOTT SHERWOOD: CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Seaway Printing proudly announces the promotion of Scott Sherwood to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Scott joined Seaway Printing as the Continuous Improvement Manager, where he played a pivotal role in identifying opportunities and implementing a Lean Manufacturing System.
With nearly 26 years of leadership experience, Sherwood’s expertise and dedication have been invaluable to our organization.
In his new role as COO, Scott assumes responsibility for overseeing operations, including Production, Scheduling, Maintenance, and Human Resources. His strategic vision and proven track record make him a natural fit to lead our company forward.
Manufacturers Exhibit at Tissue World
By Susan Stansbury, Industry Consultant
Wisconsin and the Midwest were represented at the early February Tissue World Show in Miami. However, the rest of the world was more well-represented. Several exhibitors with international headquarters had significant U.S. divisions too.
Like the rest of the current paper industry, tissue mills have virtually no local or regional U.S. ownership. GBIG research projects tissue-towel growth at 2.3% CAGR to 2028, while Freedonia research has a 6.66% CAGR in the away-from-home tissue segment during the same period. Freedonia attributes more than a third of global tissue consumption to away-from-home markets like restaurant and commercial users.
With a total of about 125 exhibitors, Wisconsin represented a range of companies that supply tissue or support the industry. Some of these I visited in Miami included these companies (with key locations):
- Adhesives Research Inc, Glen Rock PA.: For splicing and converting applications.
- Alwin Manufacturing, Green Bay WI: Producer of towel, tissue & napkin dispensers.
- American Roller, Union Grove WI: Engineered services & industrial rollers.
- C. G. Bretting Manufacturing, Ashland WI: Paper converting equipment supplier.
- Convermat, Great Neck NY: Supplier of parent rolls of tissue.
- CR Meyer, Oshkosh WI: Contractor specializing in industrial, pulp & paper.
- IMA TMC, Italy: Tissue machinery company; packaging & handling tissue.
- Infinity, Green Bay WI: Machine & engineering, for automated tissue packaging.
- Paper Converting Machine Company, Green Bay WI: global equipment manufacturer.
- Optima Packaging, Green Bay WI: From single machines, to complex turnkey systems.
- Precision Roll Solutions & GB Embossing, Green Bay WI: Full-service capabilities.
- Sellars Nonwovens, Milwaukee: Flushable, dispersible materials for cloths, towels etc.
- SGS-IPS Testing, Appleton WI: Inspection, testing & certification support services.
- Trebor, Inc. Matawan NJ: World’s largest independent marketer of parent tissue rolls.
- WEKO, Germany: Systems for customized additives including softeners, lotion, extracts.
The conference sessions focused on current issues, the state of the industry, and “unveiling the future.”
Wisconsin still has stellar resources, from pulp to tissue mills, to finished tissue products via the converting industry. Locally, we do have tissue manufacturing like St. Paper, LLC., in Oconto Falls, WI, which is headquartered in Virginia. Geogia Pacific in Green Bay and Proctor and Gamble in Green Bay are tissue giants making paper towels, and toilet paper.
BiOrgin tissue mill in Lady Smith, WI, is one of the only tissue manufacturers with full spectrum color matching and is also known for its eco-friendly specialty tissue products.
Kimberly Clark in Marinette, WI, is part of the K-C packaged products division with its tissue-based “shop towels.”
In Wisconsin, the power shift to international ownership affects each of the issues outlined above. However, these issues affect the industry globally too. Hopefully, local managers and outside owners can come together to solve problems, invest for the future, and realize growth goals.
