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With visitors representing a record 107 countries, Corrugated 2002 was truly a global industry event. Exhibitors, box manufacturers and show organizers declared the show, which took place June 10-15 at [...]

Agnati America, Inc. is restructuring its sales and marketing efforts in North, Central and South America with the addition of personnel and a renewed emphasis on parts and machinery service. [...]

Ask purchasing agents what they see as the trends in packaging today and most will tell you, 'keeping costs down, high graphics, on-time delivery, and short lead times.' Pose the [...]

The U.S. board converting industry was dealt a triple blow over the last two years with the combination of a recession, customer consolidation and a strong dollar. The economy outwitted [...]

I have a friend who says he never looks forward to any type of event because if he has a rotten time he won't be disappointed. The experience, he says, [...]

Say you're the marketing person responsible for a national chain of sporting goods stores and you're planning a promotion that differs with each region. The marketing plan requires individualized point-of-purchase [...]

Eight months ago, Ferguson Supply & Box Mfg. Co., Charlotte, N.C., acquired a competing sheet plant. It was one of the best decisions the company ever made, says President Paige [...]

We're not doing enough to market our products,' is a common complaint in this industry. What's also common is the finger pointing by individuals who like to lay blame on [...]

They are eager to learn the business and dedicate their time to advance the image and the overall prosperity of the board converting industry. They are our future and they [...]

Imagine if you will, life without TAPPI's Corrugated Containers Division (CCD). No SuperCorrExpo, no annual fall meetings, no technical information papers, no regional workshops, no short courses, no spring planning [...]

Two years ago, Bob, Dan and John Braverman of R&R Corrugated Packaging Group, Bristol, Conn., attended their first Independent Sheet Plant Operators Workshop, sponsored by the Fibre Box Association (FBA). [...]

It drives Lynn Harrelson crazy when she sees the traditional 'recycle' symbol of three chasing arrows on non-paper-based products, like plastics. 'That old chasing arrows symbol now means any sort [...]

Months before consumers were using the 'R' word, box manufacturers knew that the United States' economy was headed for a recession. All of the signs were there, even before 2001 [...]

Last month, one of Paperboard Packaging's Editorial Advisory Board members told me that board converters soon will be leading this country out of the recession the same way converters witnessed [...]

Hindsight is not 20/20 when predicting the future of the corrugated container industry, says William B. Howes, chairman of Inland Paperboard and Packaging, Inc. Five years ago, Howes forecasted an [...]

While the events of Sept. 11 certainly didn't help the corrugated packaging industry, they also can't be blamed for the problems the industry has been facing for some time, says [...]

Everything in life is relative. My father always used to tell me that whenever I thought the world was crashing down on me. 'Before you start feeling sorry for yourself, [...]

More than 27 years ago, a group of independent corrugated converters joined forces for the common good of the small box plant owner. In the early '70s they faced paper [...]

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, the last thing I wanted to do was travel. I was one of the many people stranded when all airports shut down in [...]

As I begin to write this column, it occurs to me that our lives have changed in ways we haven't even begun to imagine. Everything from air travel to everyday [...]

If you want to know how the board converting industry is faring, turn to page 24. It's not a pretty picture. Shipments, consumption and production are all down. But rather [...]

During the summer months, it's rare when my family rents a movie or watches television. Instead, we like to spend our evenings outdoors, enjoying every second of nice weather that [...]

Terry Roof, co-owner of Peachtree Packaging, Lawrenceville, Ga., keeps on his desk a page from a November 1983 issue of Paperboard Packaging magazine. It is a news story and photo [...]

One thing the U.S. board converting industry did not need this year was an article in The Wall Street Journal about just how bad business is. But there it was [...]

Good news is difficult to come by in some areas of the board converting industry. An economic downturn has drastically affected box and carton shipments. Our annual Census Report backs [...]

IN MARCH 1999, eight corrugated box plant executives celebrated the groundbreaking of their newest venture, Pinnacle Corrugated LLC, Landis, N.C. The group boasted that the plant was 'destined to be [...]

RISK TAKER,' 'OPTIMIST,' 'LEADER.' These words were heard often during the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC) Spring Meeting, themed 'Celebrating Entrepreneurship,' in April at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in [...]

ONE OF THE first things I do before contacting sources to interview for an article is pull out my collection of business cards, which I keep in a long black [...]

ARE WE EVER going to escape the general population's perception that boxes are merely commodity products? This has been an uphill battle for some time, and large multi-national corporations are [...]

WHILE THE TRADITIONAL folding carton and corrugated box still exists, there is now a hybrid that Tony Reilly, vice president of sales, Flutes, LLC, likes to refer to as the [...]

MIKE FLINN, PRESIDENT of Scope Packaging Inc., receives monthly solicitation offers to sell his family's Orange, Calif., sheet plant, but he chooses to remain independent. Why? 'We're a family business. [...]

Wide width corrugators, vacuum transfer, and quick setup machines are what board converters want. WHO WANTS TO make a high quality box quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively? All board converters, of [...]

LEE SHILLITO and the corrugated box industry beat the odds last month when both received more than the coveted 15 minutes of fame. A cover story, complete with a pencil [...]

WE'VE ALL HEARD what economists are saying about the U.S. business climate. It's flat, and a recession may be just around the corner. Zeroing in on pulp and paper markets, [...]

IT'S THE BEGINNING of a new year and marketing professionals are furiously taking notes and crunching numbers for their clients. They've researched web sites, trade publications and business journals. And [...]

BY MANY ACCOUNTS, 2000 was a pivotal year for board converters. Integrated companies enjoyed record profits and earnings, while smaller independents ventured into new areas to expand their markets. On [...]

CAN ANY BOX plant apply graphics to a corrugated sheet? That depends on the definition of graphics, says Buckeye Container Division President Terry Shea. 'Graphics,' says Shea, 'is a direct [...]

Machinery show and conference give industry jump start for 2001. AFTER MUCH ANTICIPATION, SuperCorrExpo, 'The Corrugated Show for the World,' made its debut in late October at Atlanta's Georgia World [...]

AFTER ALL OF THE fuss we made over the approach of the year 2000, was the year any different from others? Actually, it wasn't bad. On a scale of 1 [...]

PAT COMMODORE and Robert Coward have more than 17 years of combined experience as corrugator operators at Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.'s (SSCC) Bedford Park, Ill., sheet feeder plant. When their supervisor [...]

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I wrote a column about the emergence of Internet sites that offer corrugated pricing information. I warned converters to be aware that their customers might use these [...]

ASK MIKE HARWOOD where he sees the greatest growth in the corrugated container industry, and he'll tell you sheet feeders and sheet plants. That's certainly one of the areas where [...]

INDUSTRY CONSOLIDATION, production floor automation, the Internet, training, growth markets -- these were all topics of discussion during Paperboard Packaging's third supplier roundtable. Twenty-one suppliers met in June at Paperboard's [...]

HOW DOES a small family-owned business keep up with new technology? This is a challenging proposition that affects most family-owned companies, according to a survey conducted by Family Business magazine. [...]

THE NUMBER of industry-related mergers and acquisitions taking place in the last few years has forced some manufacturers to re-introduce their companies to their respective markets. Corporate 'branding' or 're-branding' [...]

WARD MACHINERY is a different company today from what it was one year ago. The manufacturer has trimmed its staff, introduced new technology, and gone back to its core philosophy [...]

Board converters are certainly not experiencing the heyday of the mid-'90s, however, the health of the industry is improving, according to Paperboard Packaging's annual Census report. WHILE THE U.S. ECONOMY [...]

DID YOU KNOW that your customers can log onto several Internet sites and get information to help them negotiate a 'best price' for boxes? These new services pose some challenges [...]

Kicking off its first meeting of the year, AICC members gather in Phoenix to address 'Leadership, Training, Technology' 'WHO ARE THE leaders of the box business?' asks AICC President Jim [...]

Not once, but twice, disaster strikes this board converting plant. Here's how the owner turned sorrow into success RICK THOMAS IS one person who was happy to see the 1990s [...]