Official Board Market - September 4, 2010

IN ILLINOIS

TI to Open Box Plant

Austin, Texas-based Temple-Inland (TI) will reconvert a warehouse in Aurora, Ill., into a new corrugated box plant, complete with 18,000 sq ft of office space, reports The Fox Valley Village Sun (Aurora, Ill.).

Stephen Crawford, director of corporate real estate for the company, told the paper the plant will run 24 hours a day and provide about 200 jobs. TI plans to start converting the building by Oct. 1, and be up and running by the end of the year.

IN MANUFACTURING

Survey: Business Leaders Pessimistic

Business leaders in the manufacturing space are pessimistic, with only a third expecting the U.S. economy to improve in the next six months, according to Grant Thornton’s quarterly Business Optimism Index survey of U.S. business leaders. The hiring outlook for manufacturing companies is also gloomy – only 37 percent of manufacturing business leaders report that their companies will increase hiring in the next six months.

The survey was conducted August 2-13 with more than 350 senior executives of whom 52 were from the manufacturing industry. To see all the survey findings, visit www. GrantThornton.com/BOI.

Even though manufacturing business leaders are not optimistic about the U.S. economy, their view of their own businesses is still good, with 77 percent feeling optimistic about their companies’ growth over the next six months.

“This is very consistent with the discussions I have had with
our clients across the country,” says Walter Gruenes, national
managing partner of consumer and industrial products at
Grant Thornton. “Manufacturers are very optimistic about
the factors that they can control, such as their own productiv-
ity, quality of their products, and ability to control internal
costs. However, they are pessimistic on matters that they feel
are beyond their control. There is a great sense of uncertainty
regarding national policy regarding taxes, union and labor
matters, and export and monetary controls to name just a few.
As a result, they are very hesitant to increase their staff until
some of the uncertainty is resolved in their own minds.”
With regard to the recession, more than three-quarters (77
percent) do not think it will end until 2011 at the earliest.
Only one in five manufacturing business leaders ( 19 percent)
say the recession is already over.

HEIDELBERG INSTALLATION

Bell’s New Equipment
Up and Running

Carton converter Bell Inc., Sioux Falls, S.D., became the first U.S. company to purchase and install Heidelberg’s new 64-in. Speedmaster XL 162 6+LX press late last year, and it followed up with another first – installing Heidelberg’s Suprasetter 162 VLF CtP system. Fully installed and in full production since

6 September 4, 2010 • Official Board Markets

June, the press and its companion platesetter have not only met but are busy exceeding the company’s high expectations.

The pairing of Bell’s new VLF press and platesetter enable the company to produce four- to six-color graphics for high-quality retail packaging in run lengths from several thousand to several hundred thousand sheets. As its new capabilities become widely known, the company reports increased customer interest, specifically from Fortune 500 food manufacturing concerns.

Heidelberg’s Suprasetter 145/162/190 platesetters for large format set new standards in their class with regard to quality, reli-ability, flexibility, and user convenience. In addition to Heidelberg lasers and patented Intelligent Diode System, these models also feature excellent depth of focus, internal temperature stabilization, and straightforward operation. Options chosen by Bell include internal punching and automatic debris removal.

MAY 4-6 IN NASHVILLE

Bobst Group Makes Big Plans
for IADD-FSEA Odyssey

For the first time since 2009 at a U.S. trade show, attendees will have the opportunity to see the Bobst Expertcut 106 PER and Expertfold 110 A- 2 CS run live at the 2011 International Association of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD)-Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA) Odyssey. It is set for May 4-6 at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville.

Among several pieces of state-of-the-art machinery showcased in educational sessions on the Techshop™ floor, Odyssey programming will feature the Expertcut 106 PER diecutter, which incorporates the latest diecutting and embossing technology for 41-in. diecutters with blanking and full sheet delivery. Featuring a high-tech registration system, an intelligent feed system, and a quick-change tooling system, the Expertcut runs at speeds up to 9,000 sph.

The modular Expertfold 110 A- 2 CS folder-gluer uses the most advanced folding-gluing technology, including a patented blank aligner for perfect folding, a flipper ejector to eject blanks for all detected defects, and the ability to process all grades of cartonboard, corrugated board, and synthetic materials.

The Odyssey’s one-of-a-kind Techshop environment simulates a working production shop floor where technical sessions on diecutting, diemaking, folding-gluing, foil stamping/em-bossing, and other print finishing processes are taught on-press throughout the three-day event. The 2011 Odyssey theme, “New Game, New Rules,” leads participants to new outcomes and opportunities.