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Welcome, Milwaukee-area sponsors

Welcome, Milwaukee-area sponsors

Welcome, Milwaukee-area sponsors

I had the opportunity to meet and reconnect with a number of Milwaukee area companies. We have added most of them as new sponsors. While Southeastern Wisconsin is a major center for offset printing, we are seeing substantial growth in the flexo, gravure, digital, wide format, converting and packaging industries servicing a nationwide market. 

Southeast Wisconsin 5P Industries

Converted Products, Inc. is a premier converter focusing on film, plastics, non-wovens and laminating with a 250,000 square foot facility … simply IMPRESSIVE! 

Crossmark Graphics is a state-of-the art sheet fed printer with very innovative products. They pride themselves on their employees and customers, servicing a nationwide market. They are one of the few printers in the USA doing lenticular printing! They have recently added a HP Indigo Press. 

McAdams Graphics, Inc. is a heat set web offset printer providing Variable Inline Printing with Mailing capabilities and providing a variety of commercial printing capabilities servicing customers nationwide. Recently, McAdams added two new HP Printing Presses to service their packaging customers. 

The Scan Group has added a new facility. This is their 4th facility in Wisconsin and doubles their wide-format capacity in addition to providing offset, digital and digital contact management. The Scan Group services an international client base. 

Gopak with a HP 20,000 with a 30” web width has added new finishing capabilities to service their pouch customers nationwide. 

Direct Mail Printers

In this issue, we are setting up a special section highlighting a number of Direct Mail Printers in Wisconsin and Minnesota to get a better understanding of the size and magnitude of this industry. If you add in Illinois, these states produce over 65% of ALL direct mail production in the United States. Over 50% of all commercial printing in the USA is produced in the Great Lakes Region, along with a large number of publication and catalog printers. 

ALL of these printers are in desperate need of paper from Wisconsin. Furthermore, Wisconsin has over 60-plus flexo and gravure printers with over 200 converters needing paper. Wisconsin needs to get the Verso Paper Mill in Wisconsin Rapids back in production to supply paper to them. Without a reliable supplier, it will have a major impact on Wisconsin. 

I started my career in Sales and Marketing at Consolidated Paper, Inc. and I understand the products produced at the Wisconsin Rapids mill. 

Verso Mill in Wisconsin Rapids

The BIGGEST ADVANTAGES of the Verso Mill in Wisconsin Rapids are:

  1. Location – it’s less than a 4-hour radius to ship to the most concentrated printing and packaging markets in the United States.
  2. The mill has outstanding paper-making capabilities supported by a large converting operations facility.
  3. The area had an experienced and dedicated workforce with generations of family depending on the mill.
  4. The mill has easy access to supporting allied industry vendors based in Wisconsin with proven track records. 
  5. Wisconsin Rapids has outstanding geographic access to major transportation hubs supplying logistics and transportation.
  6. The State of Wisconsin is very supportive to help Verso get the mill back up and running.
  7. The City of Wisconsin Rapids is very supportive to help Verso get the mill back up and running.
  8. The Verso mill has access to the pulp and forests in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada with vast resources.
  9. Close proximity to graduates from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in Paper Science and Engineering.

Re-establishing Paper Production 

The Green Bay Innovation Group is interested in coming up with some creative solutions to re-establish the Wisconsin Paper Industry by getting Verso in Wisconsin Rapids back into production. We understand you can’t just turn a switch to get it up in running. We understand the issues to get employees back to the mill. We understand the equipment is a bit older. We understand that it would require a substantial amount of money to get it running. Finally, we understand the demand for coated paper has decreased, and the market is coming back slowly. However, there is still a large need for coated papers. Our region needs the paper that can be produced at the Verso Wisconsin Rapids mill, and we can’t depend on foreign suppliers due to the logistical issues worldwide. 

Supporting 5P & Converting Industries

The Green Bay Innovation Group will be providing additional information and updates about all of the companies dependent on paper that could be produced at the Verso Paper Mill in Wisconsin Rapids for people to better understand and support getting the mill back into production. This story is more than Verso Corporation; it is about supporting the Wisconsin 5P and Converting Industries! 

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.

Contact Information

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