Outside the Box
“Cutting-edge” need not apply only to shiny new hardware installations or the latest innovative software.
Vanguard is operating out of a 600,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing, fulfillment and assembly plant that is roughly 150 ft. underground. Part of a so-called Subtropolis business park located in previously mined limestone caves, the company has taken full advantage of its unique location to create a work environment that reflects a cutting-edge commitment to sustainability.
The plant’s thick, natural limestone ceiling provides geothermal insulation that maintains an average temperature of 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Polished concrete floors eliminate the need for carpeting. All installed lighting came from overruns from other construction projects. Vanguard reduced ink waste by bringing ink mixing in-house and repurposing leftover ink by using it to create black ink. (According to the company website, “Vanguard uses a pine tree rosin-based ink from BCM Inks. Pine tree rosin is a byproduct of the papermaking process and is collected at the mill.”)
A similar approach to sustainability is in evidence at the above-ground FTA member Advance Packaging—winner of a 2015 Sustainability Excellence Award—in Grand Rapids, MI. Like Vanguard, Advance relies on an in-house “ink kitchen” for color blending and ink reclamation. In addition, inks are water-based, with ink solids removed in an on-site water-treatment facility.
The company’s devotion to sustainability extends far beyond ink. For example, outdoor landscaping was designed to reduce the need for watering; heat generated by the corrugator/scrap system is reclaimed and redistributed to heat nearly the entire facility; the corrugator runs at reduced temperatures to lower energy use; glues are corn- and water-based; scrap from corrugating/converting is baled and recycled; and an automatic conveyor system diverts power only where needed, practically eliminating hi-lows in production. Even shipping routes are designed for optimal delivery times and decreased fuel consumption. (See FLEXO Magazine’s August 2016 issue for a report on the grand opening).
Meeting the Challenges
“Having a futuristic company doesn’t just happen,” Michael admits. If you’re striving to be futuristic and ‘bleeding-edge,’ you’ve got to have a good manufacturer standing behind your equipment.”
In addition, you need a team of well-trained and committed staff. “Your people are the key to making all of this technology work,” Michael says. “We constantly retrain.”
For Michael, being cutting-edge also means making education and research an integral part of his own day-to-day management. “Every day, I review the technology. I make sure I’ve got information about the latest trade shows and know who’s showing what. I go to drupa and SuperCorrExpo. I invite suppliers in and listen to what they’ve got to say. And I have a great team of people who look at what’s going on and what we’d like to see.”
Having a team fully invested in pushing the envelope is critical to success. “It’s very much an absolute, companywide commitment that you’re going to do something somebody else hasn’t done,” Michael points out. “Your employees have got to be willing to take on the challenge.”
Growing Forward
Every cutting-edge company will follow the path that best fits its culture and its clientele. But John believes certain key points may turn out to be foundational moving forward. “The factory of the future will continuously foster and incubate innovation within our industry,” he says, highlighting photorealistic renderings, augmented reality, digitally printed prototypes and manufacturing processes that transcend multiple platforms—for example, flexography printed directly on the substrate, lithography laminated to the substrate, and digital printing directly onto corrugated, all in service to the goal of maximizing brand consistency. “Our factory of the future will continue to focus on the leading-edge thinking and investments that allow our customers—the brands—to maximize their strength and growth.”
Mark suspects the changes will be even more transformative for the industry. “I think the ‘factory of the future’ isn’t going to look anything like it does today, even five years down the road. Plants that are chock full of equipment are going to discover that four or five pieces of high-speed equipment running around the clock will do. There will be far fewer employees on the production side and much higher equipment efficiency. We will have robotics heavily involved in our industry as well.
“Ten years down the road, cutting-edge factories will be running a lot of hybrid equipment. We’ll see a flexo folder/gluer with a digital station, a hybrid combining flexo and at least 4- to 6-color digital. Imagine what a great hybrid machine you’d have if you could put flexo as your background and just use digital where you need the 4-color process. I don’t know anybody working on that right now, but I bet you’ll see one at the next SuperCorr.”
The factories of the future do not choose that role to inspire envy among their peers or to suggest that all packagers should aspire to what they have achieved. Not every packager can be cutting-edge.
“Unless you’re a WestRock or something like that, most people don’t have the resources to invest in all the technology,” Michael points out. “Not everybody can spend $25 million on equipment! Packrite was created to service that marketplace, so multiple companies can take advantage of that ‘bleeding-edge’ technology. We fill in the gaps, so other companies can expand their offerings without investing a huge amount of money.”
The specific gaps requiring the help of a cutting-edge partner will vary from packager to packager. And not every cutting-edge company offers the same set of services. John recommends that FTA and AICC members seeking such partnerships take the time to meet other members and learn how they can help to fill in specific gaps. “It’s a very collegial environment,” he says. “More often than not, you’ll be able to find one of the leading-edge members to help.”
Of course, the industry has room for any number of up-and-coming companies striving to join those at the leading edge. For Michael, they will remain colleagues, not competitors. “If they build up to the point where they’ve got enough business to buy, say, a specialty folder-gluer like we’ve got, that’s great! If somebody else is doing well with this approach, it will pull the whole industry up.”
About the Author: Robert Bittner is a Michigan-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to BoxScore.