tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145254802011-12-14T22:09:47.632-05:00The staff of <i>Paperboard Packaging</i> and <i>Official Board Markets</i> bring you the Paperboard Packaging Group Blog. The Paperboard group's in-print and online products serve the global board converting industry. Visit <a href="http://www.packaging-online.com">www.packaging-online.com</a> for more news and information.Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.comBlogger491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1159542885889391852006-09-29T11:12:00.000-04:002006-09-29T11:14:46.440-04:00

Wal-Mart Stores now plans to measure its 60,000 worldwide suppliers on their ability to develop packaging and conserve natural resources. The initiative, scheduled to begin in 2008, is projected to reduce overall packaging by 5 percent.In addition to preventing millions of pounds of trash from reaching landfills, this initiative is projected to save 667,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from

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Another independent is gone. Field Container Company, L.P. announced last week that it is combining its business with Altivity Packaging, the former consumer packaging business of Smurfit-Stone that was recently acquired by affiliates of Texas Pacific Group. The new company will be named Altivity Packaging, LLC. Founded in 1942, Field Container Company, L.P. is the fifth-largest folding

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1151946478519992882006-07-03T13:07:00.000-04:002006-07-05T11:45:11.586-04:00

Posted by Tom AndelWe’ve entered the season the kid inside us anticipates with joy but the disaster-fatigued business person on the outside dreads. Summer. Meteorologists and Al Gore predict an active hurricane season. We’ve already seen non-hurricane-related flooding in several parts of the country. However, while developing a story on disaster recovery for Official Board Markets, I came across

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Posted by Mark Arzoumanian Late last month I received an email from Bill Wong with Rigel Ltd. I don’t know how he obtained my address. Perhaps a packaging directory or maybe he subscribes to one of our trade publications. Anyway, the headline stated “China’s custom folding cartons delivered in five days.” What? Rigel, based in Shenzen, China, is going after the short run

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1149877393191819882006-06-09T14:21:00.000-04:002006-06-12T09:44:45.756-04:00

Posted By Tom Andel, editor at largeSick of all the RFID hype surrounding the Wal-Mart mandates? As I learned at TAPPI’s RFID Symposium held in Atlanta recently, there are other reasons to care about RFID. Selfish reasons. Like, maybe you can improve data collection and communications in your plant.Maybe you can bridge those islands of information that use sensors to measure critical plant data.

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1149112976106483462006-05-31T18:02:00.000-04:002006-05-31T18:02:56.513-04:00

Posted by Esther DurkalskiDo you know a great young leader that deserves some recognition? Well, Paperboard Packaging is seeking nominations for the great young leaders preparing to blaze packaging's trail to the future. Will they come out of sales, accounting, marketing — maybe even directly off the plant floor? We want your help identifying the next generation of talent under 40 years who will

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1148309212770153072006-05-22T10:44:00.000-04:002006-05-22T10:46:53.076-04:00

Posted by Mark ArzoumanianEarlier this month the Treasury Department pooh-poohed the claims of U.S. manufacturers that China was manipulating its currency value to gain an unfair trade advantage. These manufacturers claim that the yuan’s value is set artificially low, so low that American firms can’t match the prices of Chinese-made goods. Of course the ebbs and flows of U.S. manufacturing

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1147700945863523762006-05-15T09:47:00.000-04:002006-05-17T15:15:46.903-04:00

Posted by Tom AndelWhat do you think when you see a freshly-cut slice of pizza being separated from a hot, cheesey pie, strings of mozzarella elongating as the delicacy begins its journey to someone’s watering mouth?How about a barcode? Yeah, I guess if you’re hungry enough even bar codes could look like pizza. You could actually make a bar code look like pretty much anything. That’s what the

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1147120189356342232006-05-08T16:29:00.000-04:002006-05-10T13:26:47.446-04:00

Posted by Esther Durkalski The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that there are six million U.S. workers injured per year at a total cost of more than $125 billion.  "Focusing on safety and health programs is the right thing to do; it saves money and adds value to the organization," said John Henshaw, assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1145891539948396662006-05-01T11:11:00.000-04:002006-05-02T09:42:15.043-04:00

Posted by Tom AndelI just wrote a letter to Jack Welch — you know, the former ceo of General Electric. I was actually responding to a column he and his wife Suzy wrote for the May 1 edition of Business Week. In it, they make the case for "What's Right about Wal-Mart." One of the things they say is right about Wal-Mart is that it forces its suppliers to be better.Suzy writes that Jack negotiated

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1145970669630516922006-04-25T09:09:00.000-04:002006-04-25T09:15:06.643-04:00

Posted by Mark Arzoumanian Wal-Mart is in love with business sustainability. What's that, you say? Wal-Mart defines it as economic benefits derived from improve environmental and social outcomes. So why should you care? Well, as a paperboard package maker you already know that Wal-Mart purchases a HUGE amount of corrugated containers and folding cartons. But in the next three years it wants to

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1145288011296946332006-04-17T11:31:00.000-04:002006-04-17T13:12:19.073-04:00

Posted by Esther Durkalski Energy has traditionally been in the top five cost categories for the forest products industry, according to the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA). Energy costs as a percent of operating costs have continued to increase dramatically. This past winter a million BTUs of natural gas ran as high $14.50. Four years ago that same amount cost $4. Many

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1144147918019416852006-04-04T06:51:00.000-04:002006-04-05T10:51:00.883-04:00

Posted by Tom AndelI had an interesting series of conversations with principals of the Material Handling Industry of America (www.MHIA.org) last week when attending NA2006, the association’s biennial trade show held at Cleveland’s I-X Center. The topic was the huge increase in the market valuation depicted in MHIA’s 2006-2007 annual report. $125 billion was the figure quoted. I can remember only

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1143660464263129582006-03-29T14:24:00.000-05:002006-03-29T14:27:44.276-05:00

Posted by Mark ArzoumanianNo, you say? Why not? Ashamed of what you're making? I hope you believe your cartons and boxes HAVE value. If not, find a new job.Assuming you believe what you sell has value, the challenge is to convey that value to your customers and have them pay for it. Unfortunately, all too often nowadays you find yourself sitting in a room with a 20-something (on the job less than

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1142892011548576602006-03-20T16:41:00.000-05:002006-03-22T15:33:07.816-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriThis industry cares about what goes on in Washington, I know it does.And it should -- converters (and all U.S. manufacturers, really) need all the help they can get to stay afloat. The National Association of Manufacturers has some neat tools to help you carry out your civic duties in just a few mouse clicks.One of them is an elected official finder, which allows you to

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1142349038012670702006-03-14T09:58:00.000-05:002006-03-15T12:02:46.743-05:00

Posted by Esther DurkalskiAt CeBIT, the world's largest tech and telecoms fair, held last week in Germany, RFID was a hot topic. Firms from around the world exhibiting at the fair showed how they have been using RFID to increase efficiency. Metro, Germany's biggest retailer, said it saved 8.5 million euros (U.S.$10.1 million) in its German operations last year by using the technology to track

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1141919291710744622006-03-09T10:46:00.000-05:002006-03-09T10:48:11.736-05:00

Posted by Tom AndelCustomers are getting smarter about doing business with paperboard packaging suppliers. That’s a mixed blessing. On one hand they’re more knowledgeable about the industry’s cost structure. On the other hand, many use that knowledge to ratchet prices down. I just came back from the Canadian Corrugated Case Association’s annual conference in Toronto, and the keynoter was James

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1141241869482982982006-03-01T14:26:00.000-05:002006-03-02T09:54:08.416-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriLast week I wrote about Fortune magazines's Most Admired Companies Report. I said no integrated paperboard packaging company made the list of 303. I was wrong. I also said that no paperboard players topped the "Packaging, Containers" segment, which is true. However, I overlooked the Forest & Paper Products category entirely, which lists International Paper, Weyerhaeuser,

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1140814989556320742006-02-24T15:59:00.000-05:002006-02-27T09:21:10.680-05:00

Posted by Mark ArzoumanianDo you remember going out to trick and treat on Halloween evening? My parents weren't big candy fans, which cut down on the dentist bills. Instead my dad would buy boxes of donuts Halloween day. We'd then put them into plastic bags and distribute them until we ran out. We became a popular destination on Carlson Parkway but always had to watch out for repeat visitors!

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1140806922667830772006-02-24T13:27:00.000-05:002006-02-24T16:07:16.126-05:00

Our friends at the National Association of Manufacturers' blog tipped us off to a fast-approaching deadline for forward-thinking manufacturers, like yourself (we hope!).Managing Automation magazine sponsors the Progressive Manufacturer Awards. If your organization has a progressive project or strategic initiative that falls within one of the six disciplines (Business Model Mastery, Innovation

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1140726924709961912006-02-23T14:59:00.000-05:002006-02-23T15:38:18.953-05:00

Posted by Esther DurkalskiYesterday NAM released a new report about the role of small and medium manufacturers in the economy. It's an update and expansion of the first such report that the organization did five years ago. The report can be found here. The report defines the small and medium manufacturers (SMM) profile as small manufacturers are companies with fewer than 500 employees and

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1140620648244179972006-02-22T09:22:00.000-05:002006-02-22T11:06:52.366-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriFortune magazine recently published its "America's Most Admired Companies" report. No paperboard packaging company appears on the list of 303. To determine the list, the magazine asks businesspeople to vote for companies they admire from any industry. The eight key indicators considered include: innovation, employee talent, use of corporate assets, social responsibility,

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1140532549724064592006-02-21T09:26:00.000-05:002006-02-21T13:39:43.156-05:00

Posted by Tom AndelA couple weeks ago, Business Week’s cover story was about “The Future of Outsourcing.” Guess whose industry was featured in the lead. Yours.Actually it was one of your industry’s equipment suppliers that’s outsourcing a lot of its design engineering to India. The Paper Converting Machine Co., Green Bay, Wis., purchased last year by Barry-Wehmiller Cos., is shifting 160 of these

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1139847672024372992006-02-13T11:18:00.000-05:002006-02-15T15:09:00.270-05:00

Posted by Lee ShillitoPresident of Triad Containers, Bristol, Tenn.Immediate Past President of the Association of Independent Corrugated ConvertersWhat an eye-opener to go to Washington amidst all the hustle and bustle and hear about "The New Economy,” last week during the NAM Fly-In. We heard from our leadership that we are in a transition period. (Click here for OBM's coverage of the event and

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1139601668377612472006-02-10T14:53:00.000-05:002006-02-10T15:01:08.390-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriWe've talked before about the benefits of hiring veterans. Now the National Association of Manufacturers is holding a free webinar for its members in conjunction with its veteran hiring initiative and RecruitMilitary.com.The event takes place Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 1:00 EST (what better day to show your love). Register here.

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1138651714897277922006-02-06T09:57:00.000-05:002006-02-06T09:58:35.923-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriThe spirit of the independent was alive and well where I visited two weeks ago — don’t panic, you didn’t miss an AICC or PPC event — I was at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.HP was a presenting sponsor for Sundance, and held a Graphic Arts Analyst & Media Summit in Salt Lake City Jan. 24-27. It was the first event where HP and Scitex Vision presented

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1138634883798847532006-01-30T10:22:00.000-05:002006-02-06T09:21:57.086-05:00

Posted by Mark ArzoumanianChange happens. Those two simple words jumped out at me when I read Anton and Larry Schiffenhaus' customer letter on the company web site. In this missive the two veteran box-making executives talked about the acquisition of their company by Southern Container, another highly-respected independent box maker on the East Coast.The letter itself is well-written and gives

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1138209478099516482006-01-25T12:14:00.000-05:002006-02-14T14:34:01.150-05:00

Posted by Steve Young, Association of Independent Corrugated ConvertersWe appreciate Esther's comments about the Fly-In in this blog, and the this year's event could not come at a better time. As Esther referenced, when we first announced this corrugated industry Fly-In in December, General Motors had just announced the closure of six plants and cutbacks of as many as 30,000 workers over the

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1137427620198306442006-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:002006-01-16T11:25:30.326-05:00

Posted by Esther DurkalskiFor the third year in a row, converters are making their voice heard on Capitol Hill. FBA and AICC, in conjunction with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), will be participating in NAM's annual Washington Fly-in for manufacturing, Feb. 7-8, in Washington D.C. They will be conveying the message “Manufacturing Makes America.”In what will hopefully be a show of

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1136559699928225482006-01-06T10:01:00.001-05:002006-01-13T10:35:01.656-05:00

Posted by Tom Andel“The RFID revolution planned by global corporations and governments will be nearly imperceptible at first, as the technology slowly permeates warehouses, then spreads to store shelves, our homes, and then perhaps ultimately into our flesh.”Read out of context, you might think these were the ravings of a paranoid schizophrenic, someone who thinks his every move is being

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1136309038159383092006-01-03T12:11:00.000-05:002006-01-03T12:23:58.170-05:00

Posted by Mark ArzoumanianLast month a number of articles were published in newspapers and magazines that quoted Wall Street analysts who were very bullish about rising containerboard AND box prices this year. I did a doubletake when I read the headline in Canada's National Post of December 17th: "Box prices to soar after plant closures," it said."If only it were that easy," I said to myself.

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1133802727915385962005-12-05T12:05:00.000-05:002005-12-05T12:12:07.926-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriAmong a slew of little tax and accounting rule changes for 2005, there are a few significant points that every business owner should be aware of as April 15 creeps up on us, according to M.S. Ackerman & Co.'s Mitch Klingher. They include:1. Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation (FIN) - 46 - "Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities"2. American Jobs

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1132005164152380602005-11-14T16:31:00.000-05:002005-11-14T16:52:44.163-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriIndustry Week's Tonya Vinas offers a different solution to manufacturing's skilled-worker shortage. It's not the usual "team up with community colleges" argument —— a sound idea in theory, but one that hasn't worked yet. "Why not women?" she asks, pointing mostly to the flexible work shift options a career in industry offers —— something obviously attractive to a mother

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1131655848324610932005-11-10T15:43:00.000-05:002005-11-10T15:52:07.336-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriWhen I came across this list today it reminded me of something Jim Haglund, president of Central Container Corp., said when he was inducted into the Paperboard Packaging/AICC Hall of Fame two weeks ago in Boston."Remember," he said. "We're all entrepreneurs who just happen to be in the box business." Interesting, isn't it?So, without further ado, here's Inc.'s 75 Reasons

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1131385861828299592005-11-07T12:50:00.000-05:002005-11-07T12:53:10.113-05:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriThis may be your chance to get ahead of the competition in RFID R&D: Avery Dennison is offering free RFID tags and access to its testing facilities through it's Partnership Program. The program extends the opportunity to converters, retailers, OEMs, systems integrators, and others who are working on RFID mandates. According to a press release, participants will receive

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1130881656657447632005-11-01T16:40:00.000-05:002005-11-01T16:47:36.680-05:00

Posted by Mark ArzoumanianThe integrateds were successful at passing through the board price increase this month. The rising cost pressures on major integrated (and independent) mill operations has intensified to the point where their long-term survival is a serious concern. They desperately needed this one.Integrated producers, notably Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., Packaging Corp. of America,

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1129822127880248092005-10-20T11:03:00.000-04:002005-10-20T13:55:25.806-04:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriContingency planning and disaster preparedness have been on everyone's minds this season, as we're already to "Wilma" — the last name in an alphabetical list of 21 set aside for the 2005 hurricane season (letters q, u, x, y, and z are not used). Next it's onto Greek letters for names, so expect to hear about Hurricances Alpha, Beta and Gamma before the season dries out

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1129566024329989352005-10-17T12:20:00.000-04:002005-10-17T15:56:21.640-04:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriI’m doing my homework for the AICC Annual Meeting that’s fast approaching. Attendees have been asked to read the first five chapters of Michael Lanning’s book Delivering Profitable Value. Lanning talks about the dangers of operating as an internally driven or customer-compelled company. Customer-compelled behavior, he says, often causes companies to miss or reject great

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1129048612990057682005-10-11T12:34:00.000-04:002005-10-11T12:36:52.996-04:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriConverters who produce food packaging should note that ISO has realeased a new standard to ensure safe food supply chains: ISO 22000. Although no specific requirements were established for food packaging, the standard advises food producers to analzye packaging, according to an article on PackagingLaw.com. So although the standard may not affect you directly, expect to

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1128524865733318662005-10-05T11:16:00.000-04:002005-10-05T11:19:04.206-04:00

Posted by Tom AndelPaperboard Packaging sponsored a breakfast during CPP Expo 2005 during which Consultant Frank Perkowski, Business Development Advisory, suggested that converters needed to work their way out of a “mature” (or, slow-growth commodity-oriented) industry and establish a vibrant new business that emphasized service. He suggested some nontraditional growth opportunities such as:•

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1128028828171045682005-09-29T17:07:00.000-04:002005-09-29T17:23:10.180-04:00

Posted by Tom AndelAs a former running back for the four-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, Rocky Bleier (pictured above) sees parallels between the challenges his team faced in the past and the challenges all business people face in today's crowded, competitive marketplace. Bleier was the keynote speaker at TAPPI’s second day of sessions at the fall meeting. His speech, "Be the Best

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1127856889495257172005-09-28T09:28:00.000-04:002005-09-28T09:37:00.293-04:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriAICC presented its third audio web conference yesterday. The topic was "Cycle Time and Team Cooperation." The facilitator Dean Mitchell shared some great tips, including ways to measure cycle time components including design/quote, order entry, scheduling/materials, converting, delivery, and billing. He also gave best practices examples and emphasized the importance of

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1127739105610064732005-09-26T08:51:00.000-04:002005-09-26T08:53:46.463-04:00

Posted by Mark ArzoumanianWhat are the chances that the October 1/October 15 containerboard price increase with be implemented? In my opinion, not very good. Just about all the integrated board producers have told their customers that they plan to raise board (linerboard and semichemical medium) prices by $30 or $40/ton.While a couple of integrateds (Smurfit-Stone and International Paper) have

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1127401118121110922005-09-22T11:20:00.000-04:002005-09-22T11:27:05.973-04:00

Posted by Tom AndelCorporate CEOs have suffered the penalties for lying or misleading government officials involved in safety investigations. In the packaging world alone, between October 2003 and September 2004, there were approximately 40 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigations involving corrugated and solid fibre box plants. Financial penalties for citations

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1127401585299775452005-09-22T11:06:00.000-04:002005-09-22T11:06:25.306-04:00

Posted by Marisa Palmieri OBM has reported that converters and suppliers across the country are pitching in to help Hurricane Katrina victims. Last week's AICC Weekly Bulletin details what the association's members are doing to help.Let us know what you've done to help, or what you've learned in terms of contingency planning in the disaster's aftermath.

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1127309853637105952005-09-21T09:35:00.000-04:002005-09-21T16:47:54.156-04:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriIn an earlier post, Tom Andel noted that one way to reach out to Hurricane Katrina victims is to employ them. Business Week magazine reports this week that companies in neighboring states to Katrina-devastated Louisiana are opening their doors to displaced but skilled workers. Evacuees seem to be having no trouble getting jobs in Texas, Arkansas and Florida — even Utah.

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1127239872887629362005-09-20T14:09:00.000-04:002005-09-20T14:13:12.896-04:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriPaperboard is being used for an in-store marketing tool beyond P-O-P displays. The Grabb-It serves as a promotional medium for advertisements and coupons, as well as a functional handle that grips plastic bag handles together for comfort. Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. manufacturers the product, which was developed by Grabb-It, Inc., an Oceanside, Calif. firm. I know what

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1126558324208361692005-09-12T16:51:00.000-04:002005-09-21T09:46:10.213-04:00

Posted by Marisa PalmieriOptimism was in the air at Print ‘05 & Converting ’05 in Chicago this weekend, so much so that even an industry newcomer like myself could see it. As commercial printers and graphic arts and packaging professionals navigated the vast show floor (which took up three exhibit halls at McCormick Place), toured the intricately designed booths and snagged freebies, paperboard

Paperboard Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928502875848358715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14525480.post-1126272090568802582005-09-09T09:19:00.000-04:002005-09-20T14:26:36.643-04:00

Posted by Tom AndelAs I write this, it’s a couple days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans. When I checked my e-mail this morning I found the following note from a reader:“I run a small corrugated sheet plant in San Antonio, Texas. What can we do to help the people in New Orleans? I have donated money, clothing and food. How can I help the small mom and pop businesses like mine, that

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