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Industrial Automation Solutions, Products and Services to Keep Plants Growing and Running Smoothly

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Anniversaries are often a Celebration of successful relationships — ours is no different. This year, Tech4 celebrates its 25th, and as a founding member of the organization, I feel fortunate to have been a small part of many of those relationships.

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Coating and Laminating Offer Converting Benefits

A View By Susan Stansbury

Wisconsin converters look to coating or laminates separately for their specialized benefits. Yet, there are times when, for example, less costly coated materials can take the place of laminating. Or, laminating is selected as a superior option.

Decisions around these choices start with the product design. What are the desired product attributes, aesthetics and deliverables? What are the regulatory and testing requirements? 

Aesthetics centered around the “look” of the product may drive developers in a certain direction. On the other hand, they will specify certain performance characteristics. These product characteristics are examples where the plan may demand:

• A shiny, gloss surface effect, or velvety matte, often seen in packaging.  
• Transparency or package windows for viewing interior contents.
• Smooth, soft or other touchable attributes that draw consumers.
• Drapable, or stiff, or “quiet” (not crinkle-annoying) for food or other usage.
• Barrier to liquids, on one or both sides, seen in various medical products.
• Absorbency, such as a dental bib’s absorbent front side and barrier back side.
• Strength, including tear, burst and other measurements.
• Features designed around immediately disposable, or reusable products.
• Minimal performance for economy; and alternately, maximum for premium items.

When an attribute such as a barrier property is a necessity, there is still a range of definition to be determined, such as:

• Barrier to what…water, chemicals, other fluids.
• Barrier-protective coatings or layer to minimize “scratch” or other degradation.
• Product life cycle…length of use or amount of reuse.
• Ability to recycle. Laminates pose recycling issues. Food and other packages combining paper or plastic and foil as a barrier-to-moisture have had disposal challenges.
• Products with barrier properties meeting food-grade, EPA or FDA acceptance. 
• Level of barrier properties. In some cases, barrier films that are laminated to tissue, nonwovens or other materials require a very high level of performance. Even the film to be coated or laminated may need to be qualified as “pinhole free.” And the converting process used must optimize results.
• Choices of barrier materials may also represent other needs such as ability to heat seal or assuring temperatures the final product may be subject to (such as in the microwave oven).
• Adhesion properties for both dry and wet applications and matched to type of adhesive.
• Challenges when converting uneven materials or porous surfaces.

Today’s coating techniques offer more potential to compete with laminating two or more materials.  

Coating may be accomplished on the flexographic press, with a gloss or matte or light barrier property. A converter’s saturation technique can be used to apply a fragrance or lotion to a tissue or nonwoven substrate. The lotion can make the material softer, smoother or provide other consumer benefits. Slot die systems with pre-metered coating are also options.

Laminating offers the best opportunity to combine disparate materials such as a nonwoven and polyester or film or foil and tissue. Today’s lightweight incontinence or sanitary napkin pads are easily converted using an absorbent material combined with a film barrier backside.

Certain products, such as medical, with a pinhole-free, non-leaking barrier backside may also need to be breatheable and drapable. Additionally, a minimally adhesive-laminated combination allows manufacturers to interfold products like tissue-based towels. 

Certain coatings, such as for silicone coated pressure-sensitive release backings run the range of emulsion, solvent and solvent-less silicones. Various papers and films are coated for tapes, labels, signs and adhesive combinations plus especially demanding products such as transdermal medicine-delivery patches and wound care specialties.

Whether the choice is to laminate or coat via various means, product concepts should drive decisions. Developers working with converters can optimize both cost and performance, rather than locking in specifications too early. Working with converters and suppliers like Press Color in Appleton to develop special coatings allows product designers better performance possibilities.

Converters working with developers to offer new, unforeseen properties to attract buyers – are emblematic of the great Wisconsin “Converting Corridor.”

Stansbury’s experience includes many years in the paper, printing, nonwovens and converting industries in corporations and as a consultant

GBIG NEWS PAPER UPDATE CRISIS FOR WISCONSIN 5P and the Converting Industries!

The total U.S. Printing-Writing Paper Shipments increased 3 percent in January 2022, and we anticipate the demand growing over the next quarter. Simply, the U.S. paper mills can’t provide the paper, and the foreign paper mills are on strike or choose not to ship paper to the USA.  

The printing paper mills’ response is shutting down production, due to the decline in printing paper markets or converting paper machines to packaging papers! No, the real answer is to maximize PROFIT without supporting their customer base!  

The paper industry for printing papers has created its own problem over the years with low pricing for its products and lack of investment into its paper mills. Wisconsin has lost ownership of its valuable resource for paper production, along with shutting down capacity. 

We need to support the remaining paper mills in Wisconsin with incentives to reinvest in Wisconsin.  Wisconsin’s top economic development official recently renegotiated a $2.85 billion incentive package with Foxconn down to $80 million, and we forget that paper built Wisconsin. Thank you, Missy Hughes, of WEDC! 

The Wisconsin 5P and Converting industries have a huge demand for these papers, and it is vital for their survival. Wisconsin needs to support these industries with an estimated 98,000 employees with many other industries supporting the 5P and Converting Industries.

Unfortunately, the remaining USA Paper Companies are looking short term, and the demand for printing paper has allowed them to increase prices and put end users on allotments to maximize their profits. However, this short-term effect will force consumers to move more to a digital platform away from using paper. We have seen over 2,000 newspapers close down in 15 years and more and more publishers are going to digital editions for their publications. Why would trade Printing and Packaging Publications cease the production of printed editions?  

SPL Consuluting The power of TRIPLE E

The Power of TRIPLE E in supporting Strategic and Lean Initiatives

As I work with Leadership Teams across the country, we often talk about experiences and concerns of not being able to create and sustain lasting change through Strategic and Lean efforts.  When SPL Consulting, LLC. works with clients, this is a primary focus of conversation on how to drive transformational change.  Achieving lasting change and the performance improvement that comes with it, comes from a culture that has a number of core leadership principles consistently required of and applied by leaders.

I’ve recently been summing many of these behaviors into what I call The Power of TRIPLE E: 

• Engagement
• Empowerment
• Execution 

Let’s break it down.  First, there is Engagement.  What does that mean?  There are many approaches to achieve this end, but here are a few examples you can apply in your business.  Spend time with your team in their work environment and ask them how the machine is running or if there are any issues causing them grief.  Listen to them and capture their thoughts, then, now this is important, take some action.  When leaders hear their team and do something based upon their input, team members are more likely to be engaged in not only the daily tasks involved in their role but helping improve them.  Another important step to propagate Engagement that is often lost in the shuffle is to close the loop.  Be sure to let team members know when you’ve acted on their ideas.  I’ve heard from numerous client team members that “we bring things up, but nothing is ever done”. When I share this feedback with the leaders, I often uncover action has been taken but the team was unaware.

Next is Empowerment.  When leadership teams master this, great things are destined to happen.  The challenge is to create guidelines on what your team can do on their own and still control risk to the business.  In one of the businesses I led, we established three basic criteria for when anyone could take action.  If the change cost less than $500, only affected the department they were in and didn’t create a safety or quality issue, they could make the change without approval.  We required they close the loop and share results of a change so it could be validated and become part of standard work.  As the great Dr. Deming used to say, “In God we trust, all others bring data.”  When the team began to trust we really meant what we said, many incremental improvements began to happen that didn’t require leadership oversight!  This freed up more time for leaders to lead and resulted in improved performance.  By establishing and developing this culture you are building an army of problem solvers.

The final element in TRIPLE E is Execution.  This can be the one of the bigger challenges for many companies.  It is key to setting the example and expectation for what you want from other members of your team.  Leadership always, always, always…starts at the top.  Said another way, establishing a culture of doing what you say you are going to do even when it is hard, or you get busy, is a leadership responsibility that sets the stage for others.  Do what it takes to follow through.  Leader Standard Work (LSW) is a great tool in the Lean toolbox to help your leadership team maintain focus on executing and sustaining key actions over the course of time.

Are you effectively harnessing The Power of TRIPLE E?  If you want to explore this approach further, please feel free to reach out.
Brian Van de Water, CEO, SPL Consulting, LLC.
vandewaterb@outlook.com

Neway Packaging Expands to New Las Vegas Location Amid Increased Growth

Neway Packaging is pleased to announce its recent purchase of a 52,000 square-foot building located at 6330 Polaris Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89118.

This purchase came after increased demand from new and existing customers, which resulted in the need for a larger warehouse to efficiently stock and support the demand.

The new warehouse location is conveniently located near major freeways and makes it convenient for will-call customers and our own delivery drivers.

We pride ourselves in customer satisfaction, with this new location we are confident we can better serve our customers and maintain our continued growth in the packaging industry.

About Neway Packaging

Since 1977, Neway’s mission has been to become the leading distributor of packaging supplies and equipment. Our purchase of a larger warehouse brings us one step closer to this goal!

We promise to continue to provide quality products, innovative solutions, excellent customer service, experienced equipment specialists, custom box and packaging solutions, and a team of dedicated professionals.

With 7 full-service stocking distribution facilities to serve you, Neway Packaging provides support to a variety of industries, including the freight and logistics, e-commerce, food and beverage, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture sectors.Learn more about Neway Packaging at https://www.newaypkgshop.com/ | 800-456-3929

Northfield Corporation Information

LABELING EQUIPMENT-PRINTERS-INSERTERS-ELASTITAG APPLICATORS-SERVICE-PARTS 

Northfield Corporation was established in 1991 as an equipment house for labeling equipment with a service first  attitude. Through the years Northfield has grown into a full-service manufacturing, distribution, and service company  for custom labeling equipment, prize inserters, thermal printers, and Elastitag application equipment. Ourteam of  factory trained service technicians not only provides line assessments, engineering, and installation but also complete  service after the sale, including spare parts, PM service, and repairs. We also stock a full line of spare parts for the  equipment we service to minimize downtime for our valued customers 

Contact: 

Sales – Randy Sievert 
920-562-6390 – randys@northfieldcorp.com 

General Manager – Rob Lindquist
920-983-8122 – rob@northfieldcorp.com 

YouTube Channel – application videos

– https://www.youtube.com/user/Northfield1870/videos