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Pixelle to Restart Paper Machine in Chillicothe, Ohio

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Paper Machine #24 to produce food packaging papers

October 4, 2022

SPRING GROVE, PA — Pixelle Specialty Solutions LLC (“Pixelle”), a leading manufacturer of specialty papers in North America, has announced plans to restart a paper machine in the Chillicothe, Ohio facility. The company is investing $21 million to upgrade and restart the #24 paper machine (PM24) and plans to hire 52 full-time employees to operate and maintain it. Pixelle will also fill 50 temporary positions to support construction and engineering
requirements related to the restart.

“The current supply-demand balance in the market and our Ohio facility’s competitive, integrated cost structure has afforded us the opportunity to restart paper machine #24 (PM24) at the Chillicothe mill. This rebuilt machine will add 75,000 tons per year of capacity to serve our customers in the food packaging, commercial inkjet and other specialty paper segments. These are growing attractive markets where Pixelle has leading positions,” said Timothy R. Hess, Pixelle’s President and CEO.

Tim added, “We would also like to acknowledge JobsOhio for an economic development grant that will support an employee training program to provide workers with the skillsets required to operate the paper machine safely and efficiently.” PM24 was originally built as a coated printing papers machine, upgraded most recently in the 1990’s. Pixelle idled the machine in 2017 based on declining supply-demand market dynamics at the time. Several upgrades in the current rebuild will enable Pixelle to produce an attractive product mix for its customers. Pixelle expects the machine to be fully online shipping quality specialty papers in early first quarter 2023.

About Pixelle Specialty Solutions

Pixelle Specialty Solutions

Headquartered in Spring Grove, PA, Pixelle Specialty Solutions is a leading manufacturer of specialty papers in North America with one of the most comprehensive portfolios in the industry. Through innovation, quality and expertise, Pixelle delivers high-performance solutions that help customers boost brand appeal and improve customer experience while supporting sustainability goals. For more information, visit www.Pixelle.com.

Gain Control’s Swift, Expert Conversion of Industrial Control

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Panel to 3-Phase

When our customer came to us for a boiler controls upgrade, the Gain Control team swiftly and expertly developed a strategy to fit their needs, deadline, and budget. With our innovative approach, we developed industrial controls that were compatible with their new system, safe, and easy to operate – all at an amazing price and timeframe.

machine completed panel

Our customer was in the middle of an upgrade of the boiler controls for a large institutional building. As part of the upgrade, the feedwater pumps were switched to higher efficiency 3-phase 480 VAC models. The existing control panels were originally designed for single phase 208/240 VAC pumps – and as a result the control panel could not be used. Since the customer already had an accepted bid on the job, there was very little room in the budget for drastic changes, and the timeline was tight.

To protect the timeline from supply chain disruptions, we proposed reusing durable components with long life cycles like push buttons, terminals, and the transformer and enclosure. The reuse of components also allowed the budget to stretch to include adding automatic control using an Allen-Bradley MicroLogix PLC, ethernet connectivity, and a touchscreen for easy operation.

The last goal was to increase operator safety by re-wiring the electrical panel using best practices like utilizing wire ducting, finger-safe terminals, logical design, and clean wire routing. Please compare the following photo with the completed panel above. You will see all the fuses in the original electrical control panel are exposed, and the wire routing is open and unprotected by wire duct.

machine panel

Laying Out Components

Once we removed all the components from the back panel, we temporarily laid them out using scraps of wire duct. This allowed us to arrange the components in a logical way, while maintaining open space to meet code and help
keep components cool. After we were happy with placement, everything was traced with erasable markers. All mounting holes were drilled and tapped in a separate part of the shop, away from the clean room – assuring that metal shavings couldn’t get near electrical components.

laying out components
wiring in progress

Wiring In Progress

Wiring began once the back panel was populated. We started by grounding components that required it. Then we wired
the panel in the following order: high voltage AC, 120VAC, 24VDC and finally Class II wiring. The photo to the left shows the panel partway through the wiring process.

The last steps were to put the back panel in the enclosure, wire all buttons on the door, and land those wires on the correct terminals of the panel. Doors take a substantial amount of time to wire correctly. In the photo on the right, you can see how perfectly the wires are attached to the door. You can also see how the small touchscreen was fitted in next to the buttons that we re-wired.

machine panel

These were the upgrades and additions to the industrial control panel: 208/240VAC upgraded to three-phase 480VAC, Allen Bradley MicroLogix 850 PLC, 4” touchscreen, finger-safe fuse holders, proper wire ducting, panel identification tags, ANSI (American National Standards Institute) safety warning labels, terminals so field wiring can be landed safely, and a networking switch so it can be connected to the plant network.

completed panel

As you can imagine, our customer was thrilled with the results. We replaced an aging and outdated boiler control panel with a safe, reliable, and state-of-the-art control panel to improve efficiency and maintain a more comfortable interior environment for patrons.

This boiler control panel upgrade is just one example of the innovation that our customers
expect from us, and we deliver every time.

Let Gain Control LLC make your controls work for you!
Sales@gain-control.co 920-822-5202
https://gain-control.co

THE GREEN BAY INNOVATION GROUP presents: BUILD BACK the WISCONSIN PAPER INDUSTRY

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GBIG logo

DATE: March 2, 2023
REGISTRATION: Go to: www.greenbayinnovationgroup.com Events. The cost is: $40.00 per person lunch
included.
PLACE: Johnsonville Tailgate Village by Lambeau Field
TIME: 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS and PANEL:

  • Marty Ochs Executive Director of the Green Bay Innovation Group – Host
  • Jerimiah Janssen Vice President of First Business Bank – Sponsor
  • Brit Swisher Midland Paper – Area Vice President – Northern Region
  • Michelle LeMere – Vice President of Engineered Specialties at Pixelle Specialty Solutions
  • Congressman Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin

PANEL:

SPECIAL INVITED GUESTS:
Scott Suder President of the Wisconsin Paper Council, Sam Riikers COO of WEDC, Barb LaMue President of The New North and Kelly Armstrong Vice President at Greater Green Bay Chamber and Ann Franz at New Manufacturing Alliance.

SCHEDULE:

  • 7:00 a.m. Check In
  • 8:00 a.m. Jerimiah Janssen First Business Bank Sponsor
  • 8:15 a.m. Michelle LeMere Pixelle Specialty Solutions
  • 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. Brit Swister Midland
  • 9:45 – 10:00 a.m. Break
  • 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. Panel Discussion
  • 12:00 – 12:15 Break
  • 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch
  • 1:15 – 2:00 p.m. Congressman Tom Tiffany
  • 2:00 – 4:00 Networking

GBIG News Plastics Industry Employment And Economic Impact On Wisconsin

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Marty Ochs

The Plastic Industry employs 43,446 people in Wisconsin. Nationally, Wisconsin Ranked 8 th in plastics industry employment. The direct payroll in Wisconsin, including captive plastic products, is $2.3 billion. Plastic-dependent industries add another $42.2 billion to the state’s payroll. Together, plastics companies and the industries that depend on plastic contribute $11.4 billion in state and federal personal income taxes and $5 billion in payroll. We see plastic companies located across the state of Wisconsin. This past year Plastic News names top 10 2022 Processor of the Year finalists, Sustained Excellence winner. Wisconsin has three of them:

  • Radius Packaging in New Berlin, WI excels at Sustainability.
  • Redline Plastics in Manitowoc leads with employee relations which helped the company to
    become one of the fastest-growing North American rotomolders.
  • Teel Plastics a repeat finalists located in Baraboo. Teel was the fastest-growing company in this
    year’s Processor of the Year Finalist with major additions boosting employment and plant
    expansion.

The Green Bay Innovation Group will host an EVENT on April 12, 2023: The Present and Future of Plastic Recycling featuring an outstanding group of speakers. George Huber UW Madison Engineering and Director of the Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics will be our lead speaker. In the morning, we will have a tour of Convergen Energy 600 Liberty St. Green Bay starting at 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 am. We will have lunch at Johnsonville Tailgate next to Lambeau starting at 11:30 a.m. You can register by going to: www.greenbayinnovatongroup.com EVENTS. The cost is $40.00 per person.

Marty Ochs
Executive Director
Green Bay Innovation Group

OSHA 300 Log Webinar

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Webinar: January 24th, 2023 at 10:00AM CST

Google searches for the term “OSHA 300 Log” increase ten fold in late January over the prior months. It’s that time of year to complete the log, but inevitably questions will come up.

R & R Insurance logo

Which organizations are required to keep an OSHA 300 Log? What information should you be putting on the log? What information should you be keeping off the log? And what is new this year?

R&R’s John Brengosz ran a well-attended OSHA 300 Log webinar in December of 2022, but by popular demand, he will be back giving his presentation again and answering questions on Tuesday, January 24th.

Speaker:

John Brengosz,
Loss Control Specialist
R&R Insurance Services, Inc.

The presentation will be given as a Zoom webinar available to all who register.

Register Now

Women Leaders in Industry Series presented by the Women in the 5P Industries January 23, 2023 starting at 1:00 p.m.

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Details

Wi5P logo

Please join us for an industry update on Wisconsin’s diverse business development and upscaling talent featuring: Barb LaMue; President & CEO of New North, Inc., an 18-county regional economic development corporation in northeast Wisconsin.

Speakers (3)

  • Emily Haines – Project Engineer – New Product Integration
    Kohler Company
  • Cassie Diedrick – Business Development Coordinator
    Robinson Inc.
  • Barb LaMue – President & CEO
    New North Inc.
Register Now

GREEN BAY INNOVATION GROUP PRESENTS: THE FUTURE OF PLASTIC RECYCLING NEEDS MORE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT METHODS

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The EVENT will be held at the JOHNSONVILLE TAILGATE VILLAGE BY LAMBEAU FIELD and a morning Tour of CONVERGEN ENERGY 600 Liberty St. Green Bay, WI.

DATE: April 12, 2022
SCHEDULE OF KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

  • 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Tour Convergen Energy in Green Bay hosted by Ted Hansen – President
  • 11:00 a.m. – Registration and Check In at Johnsonville Tailgate Village by Lambeau Field
  • 12:00 -1:15 p.m. – Lunch with Doug Peckenpaugh BNP Group Publisher of Packaging Strategies
    and Flexible Packaging. He is the Manager of Converters Expo 2023.
  • 1:15 p.m. Introduction – Marty Ochs the Executive Director of the Green Bay Innovation Group
  • 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. – George Huber at UW Madison Engineering & (CUWP) Chemical Upcycling of
    Waste Plastics Director.
  • 2:30 – 2:45 p.m. Break
  • 2:45 – 3:30 p.m. John Elliot and Justin Bowers from PRI – Plastics Recycling Systems
  • 3:45 – 4:15 p.m. – Ted Hansen President of Convergen Energy, Inc. in Green Bay
  • 4:15 – 4:45 p.m. – Evan Arnold Vice President Business Development of Glenroy, Inc.
  • 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Networking
  • 6:00 pm.: Kick Off of Converting Expo at Lambeau Field.

To register, go to: www.greenbayinnovationgroup.com EVENTS and sign up. The cost is: $40.00 which includes lunch and the tour.

THE GREEN BAY INNOVATION GROUP presents: BUILD BACK the WISCONSIN PAPER INDUSTRY

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DATE: March 2, 2022
PLACE: Johnsonville Tailgate Village by Lambeau Field
TIME: 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

KEY NOTE SPEAKERS and PANEL:

  • Marty Ochs Executive Director of the Green Bay Innovation Group – Host
  • Jerimiah Janssen Vice President of First Business Bank – Sponsor
  • Brit Swisher Area Vice President – Northern Region – Confirmed
  • Michelle LeMere – Vice President of Engineered Specialties at Pixelle Specialty Solutions
  • Congressman Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin

PANEL:

  • Jim Koronkiewicz General Manager at BPM, Inc.
  • Michelle LeMere VP Pixelle Specialty Solutions
  • Nick Mares President of Virdiam
  • Henry Schienebeck the Executive Director of the Great Lakes Timber Association Confirmed
  • Other’s will added based upon their schedules!

SPECIAL INVITED GUESTS will be:

Scott Suder President of the Wisconsin Paper Council, Sam Riikers COO of WEDC, Barb LaMue President of The New North and Kelly Armstrong Vice President at Greater Green Bay Chamber.

SCHEDULE:

7:00 a.m. Check In
8:15 a.m. Michelle LeMere Pixelle Specialty Solutions
9:00 – 9:45 a.m. Brit Swister Midland
9:45 – 10:00 a.m. Break
10:00 – 12:00 p.m. Panel Discussion
12:00 – 12:15 Break

12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15 – 2:00 p.m. Congressman Tom Tiffany
2:00 – 4:00 Networking

Green Bay Innovation Group Membership Opportunities For 2023

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GBIG News Membership

  • BRONZE: $250.00 Per Year with an unlimited number of companies with your logo and link to your website and it will appear in 24 bi-weekly issues per year in our publication.
  • SILVER: $500.00 Per Year with your logo and link to your website and it will appear in 24 bi-weekly issues in our publication plus special editions. We will publish up to 8 news releases or articles about your company. We offer 2 FREE passes to our events.
  • GOLD: $1,000 Per Year with your logo and link to your website and it will appear in 24 bi-weekly issues plus special editions in our publication. We will publish up to 16 news releases or articles about your company. We will offer 6 FREE passes to our events. We will help and support your EVENTS, Open Houses, etc. for your company by promoting your event using our 2,000 contacts through Constant Contact.
  • Green Bay Website: GBIG will be updating our special section called GBIG Members. We will create a brief overview of your company with one person’s contact information to direct companies to you. We will have complete listing along with a search engine that will allow buyers to find you. The cost is: $250.00 for two years!

For more information, please feel free to contact me.

Marty Ochs
Executive Director
Green Bay Innovation Group
608-698-3333 cell and text
martinpochs@gmail.com

GBIG News: China Buying up our Paper and Pulp Industries

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The United States Has Been Under Attack By China And A Perfect Example Is The Wisconsin And USA Paper And Pulp Industries.

Marty Ochs

We have two perspectives with one from Congressman Mike Gallagher in Wisconsin who outlines a Vision for the Select Committee on China (See attachment). President Biden reverses decades of China trade policy (See attachment). We have finally recognized China as the greatest threat to our Industries and Democracy!

We have seen China and Asia completely dominate the Paper and Pulp Industry. China recognizes the importance of FREE fresh water and the natural abundant resources around their facilities in the United States. We will see this trend continue as China will push to dominate the corrugated, tissue, towel and specialty paper markets at the expense of USA companies! We will see more purchases and acquisitions of USA companies in the Manufacturing, Converting and Packaging Industries by China along with using our technologies especially in Wisconsin!

A great example of China’s acquisitions in Wisconsin, the USA and Canada

  • ND Paper, Inc. purchased the Biron Paper Mill in Biron, WI, the Rumford, Maine paper mill and the Old Town Pulp Mill in Maine located on fresh water with vast timber resources!
  • ND Paper’s Sister Company, ND Packaging Opens for business in Sturtevant, WI with its 350,000 Square Foot corrugated packaging plant competing with USA corrugated and packaging plants.
  • Paper Excellence Group/Domtar acquires Resolute Forest Products in Canada including the recycling facility in Menominee, MI. on the Menominee River!
  • Paper Excellence based in Asia bought Domtar, Inc. a North America pulp and paper giant with a Paper Mill in Nekoosa, WI.
  • Paper Excellence is on a buying spree across Canada of pulp and paper companies becoming one of the largest paper and pulp manufacturers in the world. They have a poor record on environment degradation and threats to Canada’s Forests!
  • Phoenix Paper Wickliffe LLC, located in Kentucky, owned by Shanying International an industrial papermaking manufacturer in China purchased the mill from Verso Paper Company for $16 million dollars. They are in direct completion with the former coated paper mill in Wisconsin Rapids sitting idle.
Green Bay Innovation Group

Bringing Green Bay Companies Together. Green Bay Innovation Group is committed to building an authentic networking experience where innovation can thrive.

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Phone: 608-698-3333 
martinpochs@gmail.com
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