Current Questions & Answers

MEMBERS QUESTION:

 

I am trying to ascertain the industry standards for determining the effect of humidity on corrugate stored over various periods of time. Can you direct me to a source or provide information that would guide us in this endeavor? We have a client that is going to store corrugate for three to four months in a new facility. The facility is in a little valley area known for its humidity. I have asked them to start monitoring humidity levels and keep baseline data for my office.

 

I have some basic information on humidity effecting corrugated but I need to be in a position to answer any and all questions.

 

MEMBER: We are a full line medium sized corrugated box plant.  Our combining equipment is not new nor has it been rebuilt from the inside out.  However, we do
have process testing procedures and that makes all the difference.

MEMBER: We are a full line medium sized corrugated box plant.  Our combining equipment is not new nor has it been rebuilt from the inside out.  However, we do have process testing procedures and that makes all the difference.

We do random testing every week. We test combine board off the corrugator as well as after it's been converted.

The quality assurance that we promise our customer is that they will receive a box that will meet and perform to their expectations.  We serve a very particular pharmaceutical industry.

What the toughest thing a customer is asking today is not just one thing. Price, quality, service are the three most important things.  If you give them quality and service you can most likely get your price. Ralph I hope to soon continue working on the questions for our raw material vendor audit. Will keep you posted.  What are other independent plants doing.

RALPH YOUNG: Thank you for sharing what you see as your responsibilities and that you have taken full ownership in the process. I know that you are constantly teaching management, sales, production, purchasing, and clients the aspects of measuring the processes.

The AICC is working to develop voluntary guidelines for converting operations who have to buy sheets on the outside.  From the recent survey we have concluded that many do not monitor or even ask for quality certifications from their vendors.  It would be my desire to suggest the concept of a quality user group among the independents were information can be freely exchanged.

MEMBER: We have had issues bonding liner from one particular mill. We have reversed the roll on the rewind stand and still have not been able to develop an adhesive bond. We have spliced in rolls from other mills and they combine well on the corrugator. We have therefore concluded that there are no issues with our starch or corrugating procedures. We contacted the problem mill and were told that our rolls were produced in a production run were sizing was used so the the linerboard would meet the UN Cobb Test. Will you please explain this to us?