Read the February 8th, 2023 Green Bay Innovation Group Newsletter here.
February 8th, 2023 Newsletter
Category: General
GBIG NEWS: BUILD BACK THE WISCONSIN PAPER INDUSTRY ON MARCH 2nd 2023
The Green Bay Innovation Group will host 4 Keynote Speakers and an Outstanding industry wide Panel of 6 to address the Wisconsin Paper Industry on March 2nd, 2023. The Event will be at the Johnsonville Tailgate Village by Lambeau Field with check in time at 7:00 a.m. and our speakers will start at 8:00 a.m. for the ALL Day Event. Go to: www.greenbayinnovationgroup.com EVENTS to register. The cost is $40.00 which includes lunch.
While Wisconsin still leads the nation in paper production, we are continuing to see the decline in paper and pulp production with no end in sight! Wisconsin was the WORLD LEADER in Paper Manufacturing and going from 58,000 employees to 30,000 and the trend will continue downward! The Paper Industry was the KEY to building a number of other industries and communities dependent on paper. The decline will have major impacts on the State of Wisconsin economy. Our industries depend on out-of-state or foreign paper companies to supply their paper needs.
Wisconsin is still a Leader in the Following Categories in the United States that need Paper resources to stay in business!
- Book Printing
- Commercial Printing
- Converting Industries
- Carton Manufacturing
- Catalog Printing
- Coating Companies
- Corrugated Manufacturing
- Digital Printing
- Direct Mail Printing
- Equipment Manufacturing
- Flexographic Printing
- Forestry Industries
- Label Printing
- Machine Shops
- Nonwovens Manufacturers
- Packaging Printing
- Pouch Manufacturing
- Pouch Production Companies
- Publication Industry
- Rotogravure Printing
- Tissue Manufacturing
We ask that you submit questions before the event so we can address them. Email to: martingpochs@gmail.com
First Business Bank: 2023 Business Trends in Person Event Rescheduled to February 9th.
You’re invited to an interactive, engaging presentation revealing economic trends nationally and in Northeast Wisconsin from First Business Bank experts.
How will national and international economic trends affect Northeast Wisconsin’s economy in the coming quarters? Join us at Butte des Morts Country Club for this rescheduled event where Nancy Johnshoy, CFA, Senior Vice President – Portfolio Manager & Market Strategist, will present national and regional economic data. A panel of local business leaders will discuss inflation, interest rates, employment, and more.
This event is designed for local business and organization leaders who rely on proven, timely data to make critical budgeting and operations decisions. Seating is limited, so please register now to reserve your spot. We look forward to seeing you there.
Speakers
Susan Finco (Moderator), Owner & President
Leonard & Finco Public Relations
Nancy Jonshoy, Senior Vice President – Portfolio Manager & Market Strategist
First Business Bank
Rick Hearden (Panelist), President – Northeast Wisconsin Market
First Business Bank
Cory VandeWettering (Panelist), President/CEO
Keller, Inc.
Brett Salscheider (Panelist), President/CEO
YMCA of the Fox Cities
Komal Mehta (Panelist), Co-Owner
Triangle Manufacturing Company
Rocket Industrial Provides Strapping & Banding Guide for Manufacturers
Packaging Solutions Company Creates Definitive Strapping Guide
Appleton, WI: Rocket Industrial, a leader in packaging solutions for manufacturers, releases a guide on strapping and banding. This resource was designed to provide education on strapping terminology, differences in strapping material types, and how to select the right tool or strapping material for a packaging line. The guide is available, at no-cost, on Rocket Industrial’s website.
Additionally, a strapping break strength calculator was developed to provide a quick readout of how much break strength one should look for when selecting strapping coils based on the weight of the load and the number of straps used. Try out the calculator on Rocket Industrial’s website.
About Rocket Industrial:
Rocket Industrial specializes in helping its clients Package With Less. They provide supplies, equipment, and expertise that allow their clients to package in less time, with less waste, and for less cost.
R&R Series of Webinars to Mark On Your Calendar
February
- February 7 | Updates on Employment Discrimination and Employment Practices Liability Insurance* 10 a.m. | 2 hrs.
Brian Bean, J.D. – Executive Claims Consultant Recent trends and issues in employment discrimination. Includes an overview of the legal system and common insurance coverage issues and pitfalls to avoid. – Attend Here - February 14 | Employer Responsibilities with Medicare* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Liz Johnson CLTC – Medicare Specialist
An in-depth review for employer’s that sponsor a group health plan on their responsibilities associated with Medicare. – Attend Here - February 21 | Work Comp 101* 10 a.m. | 2 hrs.
Mike Geldreich, AIC – Claims Management Specialist
Mark Turner – Account Manager
An introduction to the financial impact of workers compensation on your experience mod. An entry level look into claims management and investigation. – Attend Here
March
- March 14 | Trends & Prescription Drugs* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Jeff Sewell – Benefits Consultant
The world of prescription drugs is like an onion – the more layers you peel back, the more you find out how the deck is stacked against employers and consumers. By attending this webinar, you will learn how to better understand the moving parts that make up pharmacy and what you can do to be a wiser consumer of healthcare. – Attend Here - March 21 | Fleet Safety* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
John Brengosz – Loss Control Specialist
A discussion on important issues with insuring vehicles from the INSURANCE perspective. We will focus on: your drivers, vehicles, and program. This webinar does not focus on DOT requirements but what it takes to make your fleet more insurable. – Attend Here - March 28 | Ergonomics and Wellbeing – Working Smarter Not Harder* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Taylor Hahn, CHES – Strategic Wellbeing Consultant
Lori Willkom – Health & Safety Consultant
More than ever employees demand wellbeing and ergonomic approaches to every day workplace situations R&R Insurance will take a broad approach from a safety and wellness standpoint while also offering tools and resources to make implementation easy. – Attend Here
April
- April 4 | Reducing the Risks of a Devastating Jury Verdict* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Brian Bean, J.D. – Executive Claims Consultant
Recently, some juries have been awarding enormous verdicts against corporate defendants. How extensive is this problem? More importantly, what can you do to protect your business? – Attend Here - April 18 | Work Comp 201* 10 a.m. | 2 hrs.
Mike Geldreich, AIC – Claims Management Specialist
Mark Turner – Account Manager
Workers compensation claims are not always cut and dry. Work Comp 201 goes beyond the surface of workers compensation, diving deeper into how edge cases have been treated in the past to give employers an idea how to respond and what to expect in tough work comp scenarios. R&R’s workers compensation specialists, Mike Geldreich and Mark Turner will be diving into some targeted work comp topics and finish by explaining emerging trends affecting the insurance as a whole. – Attend Here
May
- May 2 | Avoiding 401(k) Fiascos: Fiduciary Risks and Financial Wellness* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Tom Driscoll – Vice President of Retirement Plan Services
Jason Musante-Klumb – Director of Retirement Plan Services
Your company retirement plan can be a tremendous resource or a potential liability, depending on how it is managed. R&R’s Retirement Plan Specialists will share best practices to ensure your firm is managing any fiduciary obligations while maximizing the potential benefit for your firm and your employees through a focus on their financial wellness. – Attend Here - May 9 | Workers Compensation’s Most Common Dispute: The Necessity of Medical Treatment* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Brian Bean, J.D. – Executive Claims Consultant
Mike Geldreich, AIC – Claims Management Specialist
The necessity and extent of medical treatment, and whether treatment is truly related to the work comp injury are the biggest disputes in many work comp claims. How are these disputes handled, and can medical treatment be denied? – Attend Here - May 16 | Employee Navigator 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Jedd Huntley – Benefit Systems Manager
Learn about the benefits and efficiencies of introducing digital tools into your employee benefits program and how these tools can make paper forms a thing of the past. – Attend Here - May 30 | Cyber Crime and Risk Management* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Jason Navarro, AIC, AIS, API, AU, CPCU – Director of Cyber Crime Insurance
Learn the State of Cyber Crime and ways to help protect your organization from the most common cyber attacks. Walk through cyber crime attacks, demonstrate how it’s done and talk about a protection plan. – Attend Here
June
- June 13 | ADA/FMLA Requirements for Employers* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Pete Frittitta – Director of Client Strategic Services
The landscape of FMLA/ADA requirements is very dynamic. Attend this webinar to learn more about these requirements and the demand they put on employers. – Attend Here
July
- July 18 | Worker’s Compensation: When is my Employee in the Course and Scope of Employment?* 10 a.m. | 2 hrs.
Brian Bean, J.D. – Executive Claims Consultant
Avoid common employer pitfalls and manage your organization better by understanding when your employees are considered to be in the course and scope of employment, and when they are NOT. – Attend Here
August
- August 22 | Accident Investigation* 10 a.m. | 1 hr. 30 mins.
John Brengosz – Loss Control Specialist
A discussion on one of the most important aspects of an organizations Safety Program:
Accident Investigation. We will discuss why to do investigations, how to do them, what commonly goes wrong and getting your people to ask the correct questions. We will also discuss the importance of forms and developing a process to follow up on the investigations and use them once they are completed. – Attend Here
September
- September 12 | When Remote Work Meets Workers Compensation* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Mike Geldreich, AIC – Claims Management Specialist
Mark Turner – Account Manager
The Covid 19 Pandemic has changed how and where employees are working. This webinar will help employers discover and navigate the challenges of employees working remotely. – Attend Here - September 19 | HSAs and FSAs – Valuable but Misunderstood* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Chris Kramer – Employee Benefits Consultant
With healthcare costs continuing to rise, it has never been more important for employees and employers to understand the how to use FSAs and HSAs. Yet millions of employees pass on the opportunity to utilize these valuable tax-saving healthcare accounts and leave money on the table. Attend this session to learn how these accounts work, how they can be utilized and tips for educating employees on their value. – Attend Here
October
- October 10 | Do We Really Need Directors and Officers Insurance?* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Brian Bean, J.D. – Executive Claims Consultant
At an increasing rate, Directors and Officers of organizations are being sued by the employees, competitors, vendors and customers. D&O liability insurance covers those Directors and Officers personal assets by providing defense costs, settlements and other costs associated with lawsuits. – Attend Here - October 17 | Medicare Part A, B, C, D and Maybe the Whole Alphabet* 11 a.m. | 1 hr.
Liz Johnson CLTC – Medicare Specialist
As your employees become eligible for Medicare, they have options for their health insurance coverages. R&R Insurance’s Medicare Division can help them navigate the road of options and determine the best route for their future. – Attend Here
December
- December 5 | OSHA 300 Log* 10 a.m. | 1 hr. 15 mins.
John Brengosz – Loss Control Specialist
Most organizations are entering too much information, which can draw unwanted interest. This webinar will give you a better idea of exactly what is required on your OSHA 300 log. We will also discuss recent changes to reporting your 300 log data to OSHA electronically. – Attend Here
* Valid for PDCs toward SHRM-CP & SHRM-SCP
Worzalla Donates 300 Books to 25th Annual Books from the Heart Drive
Stevens Point, Wisconsin (January 27, 2023)—
Worzalla, an employee-owned book printer specializing in printing high-quality children’s books, cookbooks, and hard-cover bestsellers, is donating 300 books to Books from the Heart and invites community members to make additional book donations now through February 10. This community-based book drive, in its 25th year, aims to provide every child in kindergarten through second grade in the Stevens Point area a book for Valentine’s Day.
“As active members of the Central Wisconsin community, Worzalla associates see the importance of celebrating reading. The titles we are donating to Books from the Heart are meant to inspire young people to see the world from another perspective,” said Kendra Robinson, HR Program Coordinator at Worzalla.
Worzalla is donating 100 books for each grade level: kindergarten, first grade and second grade. Titles include popular children’s books the book printer manufacturers at its headquarters in Stevens Point Wisconsin like a variety of “National Geographic Kids Readers”, “Step Into Reading” series, “Who Was” series and “Where the Wild Things Are”. Books from the Heart is organized by Sally Crane, Reading Teacher at J.F. Kennedy Elementary School in Junction City and is sponsored by the Stevens Point Area Educators.
“Books from the Heart and Worzalla both share the belief that books have the power to bring joy, comfort, and hope to those who need it most,” said Sally Crane, Reading Teacher, and Books From the Heart Coordinator. “We hope to make a positive impact on students’ love and enjoyment of reading by providing them with access to books that enrich their minds and spirits.”
Community members can donate to this year’s book drive by dropping off kindergarten through second grade reading level books now through Feb. 10 at J.F. Kennedy Elementary School, 616 West Second Street, Junction City, WI, made out to “Books from the Heart” c/o Sally Crane.
About Worzalla
Worzalla is an employee-owned printing company headquartered in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Founded in 1892, Worzalla has over 130 years of experience in creating high-quality custom products for its customers. Worzalla specializes in the production of cookbooks, children’s and lifestyle books, and is dedicated to exceeding expectations for quality, service, and delivery. From small to large publishers, Worzalla is the printer the industry turns to for manufacturing high profile projects and award-winning books. With numerous industry awards for safety and workplace culture, Worzalla is consistently ranked as one of the top places to work in central Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.worzalla.com.
Media Contacts:
Erica Fetherston
10 to 1 Public Relations
erica@10to1pr.com 480-676-9141
Brianne Petruzalek Worzalla
Vice President of Human Resources 715-254-9717
Western Container – New Construction
We are excited to unveil our new $8 million investment in a second Western Container manufacturing facility in Janesville, WI.
In total we’ll be employing 15-25 at our opening.
We’ll continue to manufacture our existing product groups, at our Beloit facility, as well as additional capacity and specialization in high strength film cores at the new location. Two new cutting edge manufacturing lines, specializing in film core manufacturing with new fully automatic palletization capabilities, will be producing our quality products.
The new Janesville facility will have a total of 8 shipping docks to accommodate product distribution and material flow.
We are looking forward to opening in Fall of 2021.
Case Study: Turning the Corner with Profit and Culture
SPL Consulting, LLC. was introduced to a prospect in late 2019. A salesperson I worked with previously had joined them and saw tremendous issues with leadership focus and performance that were holding them back on sales growth. We had an initial meeting where one of the owners said let’s go and how soon can you start. After that meeting the process stalled and met silence on follow up for the next month or so.
Ultimately, there was resistance to bringing SPL on by one of the owners. They had hired consultants in the past with no improvement. Their salesperson continued to champion bringing me on as he had seen the transformation created through my leadership firsthand. Eventually one of the owners said we’re bringing him on and the other acquiesced and our journey began.
Over the next four months, we conducted a number of Kaizens, created their first Strategic Plan and made significant changes to the Organizational Structure of the leadership team roles and responsibilities. SPL recognized the leadership potential of one of their mid-level managers and recommended a change. His promotion from Quality Manager and Head of Estimating to the Director of Operations was foundational for things to come. These and other focused actions generated thousands of hours of capacity in numerous departments. By following SPL’s guidance on how to effectively lead to ensure sustainment of results they recognized the fruits of their labor.
While on-site for another event, the owner said “I think something is wrong with our financials because our previous quarter net income is four times higher than any quarter in history. That can’t be right.” We sat down and in reviewing the numbers, showed how the hours we generated directly correlated to the reduction in labor as % of sales, lower waste and increased profits. Needless to say, they were ecstatic.
Even with the gains we accomplished, there were a couple major problems they struggled to overcome. One was frequent, daily break ins on jobs that were already on press, averaging 25 times per week. The other was nearly every square inch of open space was filled with WIP. Stress was high, on time delivery was low and they could not keep up with demand.
Fast forward one year. Through continued dedication of the leadership team to execute the Strategic Plan, change some leadership habits and having made hard choices to remove a small number of employees that refused to support the new direction, they turned the corner with culture. In a call this month, they shared they now have essentially no WIP and they can feel the positivity from their team. This has translated to significant increase in profitability.
The owner shared this as a reference for SPL. “I was the one who resisted bringing you on. We had used consultants in the past and they could tell us what was wrong, but not how to fix it. Once we started this process, it is the best thing we have ever done.” SPL’s emphasis on leadership of change was the difference maker. The Kaizen or Strategic Planning processes are the easy part. The hard part is establishing a leadership culture with a steadfast, team-based dedication to execution.
Brian Van de Water
CEO
SPL Consulting, LLC.
414-588-3008
vandewaterb@outlook.com
Susan Stansbury: Rust to Tech, Part 3
By Susan Stansbury, Industry Consultant
Reprinted with permission from www.PFFC-Online.com
Converting’s Leap Into Technology
This is Part Three of our series: Rust to Tech. This episode is a reminder that converting and associated industries have made a leap from the old rust belt days into a world of technology and forward motion. Here I observe examples of the latest converting technologies with notes on their associated markets.
We cannot look at the state of the industry without first commenting on workforce issues. Manufacturing, like almost the entire U.S. labor force, is in dire need of workers. Both individual companies and organizations are working to bring in new employees.
Some companies are going to high schools and technical colleges themselves. Others work with groups to reach workers. According to Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance, “We are targeting both new workers and ‘upscaling’ workers for better jobs such as data analytics across industry in HR, IT, the plant floor and more.” There are some 300 member companies.
In recent years, there was some irony in companies wanting to automate, eliminating certain workers, with accompanying negative news about fewer jobs available. Now, the combination of automation and a leaner workforce seems like a win-win. Automation and improved workflow steps portend a future with a smaller workforce. Being lean and productive has kept the Midwest converting hub globally competitive.
There is further encouraging news for the converting world which many say is “headquartered” in Wisconsin. Madison, with a population of 250,000, led a list of the top 10 cities that retained tech talent from December 2019 to May 2021, according to LinkedIn analysts. In addition, Green Bay, the scene of so much converting, is growing along with industry. The engineering talent pool in the Midwest is also a positive factor supporting manufacturing. (In spite of one recent narrowly focused study, Wisconsin has hundreds of converters often found in business parks from Green Bay to Milwaukee along the “Converting Corridor,” a term I coined more than 10 years ago.)
Looking at aspects of the converting industry, from slitting-winding, coating, printing, production processes, packaging and more, a major focus is on efficiency. According to Maxcess International, web handling experts, in a recent webinar, “Optimizing your converting yields better quality output, faster speeds, and decreased scrap. The key to optimizing converting is not simply proper guiding or tension, but it’s about the interplay of all these tools.”
“Companies are spending money on new equipment and expanding production in many of our core markets. We also see an uptick in companies taking proactive steps for preventive maintenance and upgrading existing equipment,” according to Mary VanVonderen, Marketing Manager, The CMM Group. Providing industrial ovens, conveyorized dryers, and pollution control equipment are key aspects of the company’s business.
Like many others, The CMM Group is increasingly examining ways to cross-learn and develop between its diverse divisions. One of its newest offerings grew out of the ovens segment. Now, for example,
Infrared (IR) cheese pre-melters play a vital role in the frozen pizza manufacturing process, ensuring that cheese and toppings stay in place during the flash-freezing and packaging process.
For each converting process, providers are offering improved equipment. Beginning with slitting-winding, there is no standing still. At Elite Cameron, “Our turreted slitter rewinders combine both efficiency and flexibility.” Recently, Elite Tape introduced its new CAT 729 fully automated surface rewind slitter. It was custom built to meet market demands. And others are doing their part with custom solutions.
A 2021 State of the Industry U.S. Packaging Machinery reported that U.S. packaging machinery shipments rose 14.7% between 2015 and 2020, with a packaging order backlog increase of 22.3%, and a converting order backlog increase of 12.2% in the same period. This was a welcome to backlogs!
Companies in health care disposables such as dry and wet wipes are rolling out new products like masks and reusable wipers. Associated raw materials have evolved with the unique product designs. In market niches ranging from pizza packaging to retail and automotive, growth and backlogs prevail in 2022.
Automation, RFID, lighting, recycling, intellectual property, and sustainability are simultaneous factors during this period of innovation. Examples:
- Measuring sustainability at Menasha Packaging happens in many ways — including in number of trees saved!
- Menasha Corporation’s facilities, through upgrades to LED bulbs, save 375,000 kWh a year.
- Georgia Pacific’s Palatka, FL, paper mill earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR Top Project for 2020. The mill’s kraft papermaking department team achieved a 40 percent water reduction.
According to AdvisorSmith.com reporting, manufacturing strongholds are often in mid-sized and small communities, such as in Indiana and Wisconsin. The top five small cities they cite include Colombus, IN; Sheboygan, WI; Lima, OH; Decatur and Kankakee, IL. The “Converting Corridor” is the innovation hub of this important segment of manufacturing.
The next part of this series will include more aspects and upgrades in converting.
This article is reprinted with permission of PFFC-Online.com with some updates.
‘Stop Scaring Away Amazing Talent’ Webinar Recap
Attendees at the Green Bay Innovation Group (GBIG) webinar, “Stop Scaring Away Amazing Talent,” gained new insight into talent acquisition, employee selection, and job interview strategies. The labor-focused webinar was hosted by GBIG Executive Director Marty Ochs and GBIG Silver Sponsor Packerland Websites. The online event was a collaboration between GBIG and 15dots®. 15dot is a GBIG Silver Sponsor and a Neenah, Wisconsin-based company that trains HR leaders and organizational personnel to adopt a rigorous employee selection process that is repeatable, scalable, and teachable. 15dots refers to five ability tests and 10 behavior-based interview dimensions critical to employee selection.
15dots teammates Mike Quinn and Joe Nowlin shared interesting real-world stories from their years of working in Human Resources and employee selection, plus evidence-based hiring practices and expert advice. The audience got involved by sharing information about their organizations and asking questions.
Audience members also responded to polls – not always with the correct answers – which led to eye-opening revelations. The webinar polls pertained to abilities and skills. As a follow-up to the polls, Mike and Joe explained that an ability is established early (by age 16) and remains relatively stable. Thus, applicants need to have the abilities that a job requires in order to be successful. Abilities are the basis for picking up job skills. (Examples are mechanical or verbal ability.) Unlike abilities, which are static, skills wax and wane over time.
Other highlights of the “Stop Scaring Away Amazing Talent” webinar:
- How to market your organization to a potential job seeker, even those not actively looking for work
- How to control bias in hiring, so you don’t fall into the trap of hiring people because you “like them”
- How to create a compelling Employee Value Proposition, so people want to join your team
- What traits make an ideal job candidate
- What are the right pre-employment tests (cognitive ability) and the wrong tests (personality tests)
- Why a structured board interview outperforms a one-on-one interview
- Why use a liberal screening process on the front-end of the hiring process
- Why involve stakeholders, not just HR personnel, in hiring
Thank You to the Presenters
Mike Quinn
Mike Quinn, mike@15dots.com, has worked tirelessly internally as a Human Resources Manager and externally as a consultant for over three decades. As a 15dots partner, Mike helped to perfect the tools and precise methods to take the guesswork out of employee selection.
Joe “Doc” Nowlin
Joe Nowlin, joe@15dots.com, earned his doctorate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. A former business professor, Joe designed, tested, and installed proprietary employee selection procedures for manufacturing organizations, revolutionizing the way they do business. As a 15dots partner, Joe adapted these systems for medium-sized and smaller organizations of all types.
