American Forest & Paper Association Releases March 2021 Containerboard Monthly Report

Colbert Packaging Corporation announced the installation of two new Eterna blanking die cutters. The Eterna Line ECUT 1060 Elite ER is a welcome addition to Colbert’s Kenosha, WI, and Elkhart, IN, production facilities, adding die-cutting capacity to complement recent printing press installations. The precision-tight registration of the Elite ER delivers precise cutting, especially critical to the stringent packaging quality requirements of the pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods industries. As an added benefit, tooling is compatible with Bobst Group Technology, the recognized standard for packaging equipment.

Mondi is making good progress in terms of integrating its new Turkish HD corrugated plants in Bursa, Corum and Gebze with its plants in Germany (Ansbach) and Poland (Simet), following the acquisition of Olmuksan in 2021. In recent years, Mondi has invested in new capacity, technology and machinery at its Ansbach and Simet plants, which are now some of Europe’s largest full-service, state-of-the-art facilities. Mondi Olmuksan is one of the leading players in the HD sector in Turkey, further expanding the group’s capacity to serve a broader range of industries and geographies. "Our customers have been impressed that a HD corrugated container can withstand a tonne of top weight, or that a corrugated box can safely transport heavy items through hot and humid climates. Once they realise that HD corrugated solutions are a viable alternative, they get excited about all the added benefits of customisation, handling and transport efficiencies. And of course, switching to a lightweight, paper-based, recyclable material helps our customers achieve their own sustainability goals." Gerald Dörzbach, Sales Director at Mondi Wellpappe Ansbach

Smurfit Kappa held its eighth Innovation Event this year in Paris. More than 250 customers came to the “Packaging and Perspectives” event, which took a look at how packaging will be affected by supply chain and network fragmentation using a variety of media. Alongside the conference, visitors had the opportunity to participate in an interactive live session with two Smurfit Kappa design teams tasked with developing complete shelf ready packaging and display solutions in real time. The designs that were created were based on votes from the customers.