There is an ever increasing awareness of mental health issues in the workplace, especially since mental health issues can lead to hazardous working conditions. But what responsibility does an employer have to address these issues?
Join Suzannah Overholt and Craig Kubiak on August 8 at 12 PM CT for a discussion on the legal pitfalls employers must be aware of when addressing the well-being of their employees.
Topics of discussion will include:
When an employee’s mental health issue considered a workplace hazard?
What reasonable accommodations can you provide to employees?
We will finish out the Ashwaubenon walk and continue our series covering the State of Wisconsin. The amazing thing about Ashwaubenon is the wide range of companies involved in the 5P, Converting and Supporting Industries. In this issue, we will go from Manufacturers of Pouches to Recycling Companies, to Promotional Items, to Transportation and Engineering & Design. We have companies starting in Green Bay area and servicing customers across the USA and International Markets!
Eagle Performance Plastics announces completion of 27,000 square foot addition, fueling efficiency improvements and investments in raw material and machining equipment.
Appleton, WI 7/6/2023 – Eagle Performance Plastics, a leading supplier of custom-machined and fabricated parts serving OEMs around the world. Using the latest technologies, we manufacture plastic components for a wide variety of industries including packaging, food processing, conveyors and special machinery, among others. Eagle is proud to announce the successful completion of its 27,000 square foot expansion project. The new addition represents a significant milestone for the company, further enhancing its manufacturing capabilities and setting the stage for improved efficiencies. The expansion also marks a substantial investment in raw material and machining equipment, enabling Eagle Performance Plastics to meet the evolving demands of its diverse customer base. The expansion project was completed in early 2022, and the past year was spent improving processes and layout efficiencies of the now 70,000 square foot facility.
The state-of-the-art expansion is a testament to Eagle Performance Plastics commitment to delivering excellence to its customers. By increasing its manufacturing footprint, the company aims to bolster its capacity and streamline production processes. This will result in shorter lead times and increased responsiveness to customer needs, ensuring that Eagle Performance Plastics maintains its position as a preferred supplier in the industry.
About Eagle Performance Plastics: Eagle Performance Plastics is a leading provider of high-quality plastic solutions since 1971. With a commitment to excellence, the company offers a wide range of custom plastic components and assemblies to various industries, including packaging, food processing, conveyors, automation, pharma, and more. Eagle Performance Plastics leverages cutting-edge technology and has a dedicated team of experts to deliver innovative, reliable, and cost effective solutions to its customers.
Wisconsin has a large number of corrugated plants in Wisconsin, USA, and International based companies with plants in Wisconsin. However, we have seen China and Indonesia based companies purchase USA companies and we expect the acquisitions will continue. We have seen Asian companies control upwards to 35% of the USA recycled pulp market and with Paper Excellence recent conversion of a printing paper machine to packaging, it will increase to 40-45% of recycled pulp putting pricing pressure and availability on USA based companies. We have seen Asian companies dominate the uncoated FREE SHEET market share at 35% plus in the USA. The Asian and Indonesian companies are integrated companies owning their own pulp manufacturing capabilities and ownership of major pulp mills across the globe! They will be able to import pulp into the USA at low costs that American manufactures will not be able to compete! We can anticipate the Asian and Indonesia based companies will be purchasing more companies in the USA especially in converting and packaging! We have seen USA companies shut down older plants and add new plants in the USA.
The Amazon effect has had a substantial impact on corrugated packaging. It should continue to grow! Unfortunately, 44% of products sold on Amazon in the USA from Asia are TAX FREE! 70 to 80% of Walmart products are coming from Asian Companies.
This past 5 years has been a bright spot for Wisconsin and USA Paper, Pulp and Corrugated Industries! However, we are experiencing weakened demand for corrugated boxes and other products. We saw in the fourth quarter a drop in containerboard production. We are seeing in the first 6 months of 2023 more downtime, shutdowns of older facilities and companies putting on hold expansion plans. We have seen downward pressure on OCC prices in 2022 averaged $132 a ton and in the last quarter OCC has taken a major dive. However, we have not seen a substantial price drop for corrugated products!
Grab a friend and join us at our inaugural Tossing for Inclusion bag toss fundraising event on August 17 at GameDay Sports Bar in Appleton.
This inclusive bag toss tournament fundraiser is designed to raise money to support our community programs, but more importantly, will offer teams of all skills and abilities the opportunity to compete against one another, as peers, in support of the cause.
Team registrations are $100/team and include lunch, drink tickets, and an event shirt for each player. Tournament is double elimination – two games are guaranteed.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
Please register your team by July 30. You can register online though Eventbrite by clicking the button below or by filling out our team registration form and mailing it in or dropping it off at VPI, Inc. 2730 N Roemer Rd. Appleton, WI 54911 with your team entry fee.
Individuals of all ages, skills, and abilities are encouraged to participate!
By simply registering a team to compete, you are making a difference in your community.
Get links to the latest news, events, stories, and interviews from our 5P news members. 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 76 Stories and Links on the Internet below.
Helein joins a growing team focused on sustainable coatings, including Jeff Carew, who assumes the role of President, Vireo Coatings Business Unit. Additional leadership changes include the promotion of Martin Rothe to President, Converting Business Unit, and Brian Boulter to Corporate Administrative Manager, Converting Business Unit.
APPLETON, Wis. (June 29, 2023) – ProCon, a premier provider of converting, coating, and paper sales, welcomes Kelly L. Helein as the new Vice President of Business Development. Helein will help bring the latest innovaCon from ProCon, Vireo Coatings, to market.
With a proven track record of leading business development and sales function in multiple industries, including several global paper, packaging and coating companies, Helein brings a wealth of knowledge to drive ProCon’s continued success and growth in sustainable coatings.
She joins an expanded leadership team, including Jeff Carew, a ProCon operations leader and former senior vice president, who was recently promoted to President for the Vireo Coatings Business Unit.
“We are thrilled to have Kelly join our team as our new VP of Business Development,” said Carew. “Her deep industry knowledge and dynamic leadership style make her the ideal candidate to drive our company forward and help launch Vireo Coatings. We believe her addition will further strengthen our position in the market and enhance the value we provide to our clients.”
“I am honored to be part of the ProCon team and to have the opportunity to contribute to the company’s continued growth and success,” said Helein. “ProCon has a remarkable reputation for innovation and client satisfaction, and I look forward to collaborating with the talented professionals here to further elevate our capabilities and exceed customer expectations.”
Passionate about sustainability and the impact of packaging on the global network, Kelly champions change as a Board Member for the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation, Smithers Pira Sustainability in Packaging (EU/US) and Specialty Papers (EU/US), Paper Hall of Fame Nomination Committee, and development committee for the Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, Wis. Helein is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts, International Relations/Foreign Policy.
ProCon recently made additional leadership changes, including the promotion of Martin Rothe to President for the Converting Business Unit and Brian Boulter to Corporate Administrative Manager, Converting Business Unit.
About ProCon: Progressive Converting (ProCon) was founded in 1991 by an entrepreneurial group of printing professionals who shared a profound understanding of paper, printing, and the demands of mills. Today, ProCon is the largest independent paper converter by market share in the United States and the premier converting and logistics partner for the North American paper industry. With multiple locations and distribution throughout the nation, ProCon provides high-quality converting services and innovative solutions to merchants, commercial printers, and paper mills. The introduction of Vireo Coatings offers a plastic free barrier coating technology to meet consumer packaging sustainability initiatives. For more information, visit pro-con.net.
For media inquiries, please contact: Kelly Helein, 920-243-4272 ext 4272, khelein@pro-con.net
We recognize that the Communist Party of China, The China State Owned Banks, and other Chinese Companies have been buying up CRITICAL KEY ASSETS across the globe dominating the Paper, Pulp, Converting and Forestry industries. Most recently, Paper Excellence significantly increased their global reach expanding to include nonwoven and containerboard. The acquisition positions them to be the 2nd largest nonwoven supplier in the United States! We have attached an overview from Greenpeace for you to review! We recognize that Paper Excellence has responded to the report, saying Paper Excellence is entirely independent of APP/Sinar Mas. We will let you draw your own conclusions.
We will highlight some KEY POINTS from the report.
PAPERING OVER CORPORATE CONTROL: PAPER EXCELLENCES RELATIONSHIP WITH ASIA PULP & PAPER AND THE SINAR MAS GROUP – Greenpeace Report. You can also Google: Greenpeace papering over corporate control paper excellence for the 70-page compressive report or see the attachment! Greenpeace report provides their readers with a very good understanding of China and Indonesia manufacturers business deals that is a must to read. We will highlight some of the key points below with a focus on Paper Excellence estimated at $12 billons plus acquisitions and the big question is where the money is coming from and the impact on the USA Paper, Pulp, Converting, Forestry, Nonwovens and supporting industries!
Key Points in the report!
Paper Excellence has become one of the largest of North America’s pulp, paper, forestry, and lumber companies. Paper Excellence represents itself as a Canadian company that was established in 2006.
Paper Excellence corporate structure has an extensive network of corporate entities registered in offshore jurisdictions characterized by high level of corporate secrecy.
Paper Excellence is borrowing billions of dollars from U.S. and Canada banks, including a half a billion-dollar loan from the U.S. Farm Credit System.
Asian Pulp and Paper and its wood suppliers have converted over 2 million hectares of tropical rainforests to establish pulpwood plantations having a big environmental impact draining carbon rich peatlands, linked to catastrophic fires and globally significant level of greenhouse gas emissions.
Asian Pulp and Paper set an emerging market record in 2001 for the largest corporate debt default of nearly $14 Billion Dollars
Asian Pulp and Paper have been dissociated from the FSC since 2007 because of “destructive forestry practices.”
Paper Excellence purchased the Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp Mill. In 2010, Paper Excellence made four acquisitions. By the end of 2020 Paper Excellence had acquired nine mills in Canada and two in France.
Paper Excellent acquired American Domtar Paper Company in 2021 to more than double the mill capacity of the next largest competitor for $3 Billion Dollars. Domtar has 11 pulp, paper and packaging manufacturing/converting sites and is the USA leading producer of uncoated free sheet paper.
Paper Excellence acquired Canada’s Resolute Forest Product in 2022 for $2.7 Billion Dollars. Resolute has 40 facilities including 4 pulp mills, 4 tissue facilities, 7 paper mills and 22 wood facilities including 17 sawmills and 7 hydroelectric facilities.
Paper Excellence completed the purchased in 2021 of Eldorado Brasil Cellulose S.A. for $2.9 Billion Dollars.
Paper Excellence purchased Nonwoven company for $90 Million Dollars to become the 2nd largest owner of Nonwovens in the United States.
Other than the financing information on Domtar and Resolute acquisitions contained in SEC filing, little information on Paper Excellence’s financing arrangements is publicly available. According to China Development Bank’s website, founded in 1994, China Development Bank (CDB) is a state-owned development finance institution under the direct administration of the State Council of China.
Paper Excellence has a corporate structure with layers of offshore holding companies and the ultimate parent company since 2012 has been Elite Shine Investments Limited incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and they do not disclose the identity of shareholders to the public on the corporate registry.
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