Category: General

A Round Table Overview for GBIG

Hosted by Susan Stansbury, Industry Consultant
Part 2:

Susan: What are some of the key issues you are seeing in 2022?

Ann Franz: As we promote the manufacturing industry, we are focused on employment, and this year, preparing people to rise to higher levels in business. We have heard that many are “data rich, but information poor.” Working with St. Norbert since 2019, more than 200 professionals improved their data analytical skills; and since then, many more have improved their skills, become more efficient and wise in their work.

Kristin Manteufel: We have been looking forward to coming out of Covid restrictions and seeing optimism in the markets. We have been seeing bids and projects that were on hold being revived. However, there continue to be hurdles such as delayed receipt of raw materials needed to manufacture our products. There are still a lot of unknowns for manufacturers such as staffing shortages, materials on allocation and some force majeure. Once these difficulties can be overcome, shipping becomes an issue with labor shortages and weather events affecting large sections of the US.

Amber Schuh: As an ink and coating manufacturer, the largest issue for 2022 is the uncertainly in the supply chain for raw materials. Constant communication with our vendors is essential for trying to reduce disruptions to our customers. The printing industry continues to see growth in flexible packaging and food packaging markets. Additionally, the market continues to look for advancement in the overall safety and environmental sustainability in the products they purchase.

Susan: Ann, what is the latest you offer to your 200 manufacturing members?

Ann: For middle management people, and others, we plan to offer project management training. In addition, we have female high school students on our radar. This includes a range of females, from STEM students to those in various club activities.

Susan: Kristin, what are some of the holdups in obtaining raw materials?

Kristin: In the paper industry, there have been mill conversions and shutdowns that have influenced what is made, the amount and types of papers being manufactured. These changes a have affected the sourcing of where our printing paper come from for wallpaper and gift-wrap at our Waldan division. Therefore, we have to be smart at sourcing and not have single sourced materials.

Susan: Amber, with your PhD in biochemistry, what are some of the developments you are pursuing?

Amber: Although my day-to-day tasks have taken me a bit away from the biochemical pathways my dissertation was on, I continue to use my Ph.D. experience for experimental design in our research and development pursuits. We tailor our inks and coatings for each individual customer to optimize performance on their specific equipment. Whether that is meeting a customer’s end use resistance requirements, CoF specifications, desired gloss, or a variety of other parameters our lab works one-on-one with our customers for optimization of their inks and coatings. Markets ranging from retail packaging and printing support, to business-to-business supplies, continue to be a focus among Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers.

Look for Part 3 next, featuring three more women with the spotlight on the converting industry.