AICC, The Independent Packaging Association, is offering members the opportunity participate in two plant tours during the Packaging Xperience, March 1-3, in Kansas City, Missouri.
The first tour will be conducted at the Lawrence Paper Company (LPCO) in Lawrence, Kansas. Now in its 5th generation of family ownership LPCO serves its customers with some of the most technically advanced machinery in the industry. With a sheet plant located in Fremont, Nebraska, and one in Hutchinson, Kansas, LPCO combines a broad geographic reach through the Midwest with a system of equipment redundancy and surge capacity.
The plant in Lawrence includes a 98-inch Fosber Corrugator, an Isowa Falcon FFG, an Engico Jumbo FFG, a Bobst Mastercut, a Bobst Expertfold, a HP Scitex 17000 digital, and many others. Though now in their 2nd generation, LPCO’s were the first Falcon and Engico installed in North America. Combined with other printing and converting equipment, this breath of capabilities stands out as their competitive advantage in the market. LPCO has invested more than $30 million in their Lawrence facility over the past decade to meet their growing customer needs and provide quality and efficiency throughout their production process.
The second plant tour will be conducted at Arrowhead Containers, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri, a satellite operation of SMC Packaging Group (SMC), a full service provider of corrugated packaging, point of purchase displays, protective shipping cartons, and ancillary packaging supplies. For nearly 50 years, SMC has been dedicated to responding to their customers’ needs, offering solutions to your unique challenges, and providing exemplary customer service.
Based in Springfield, Missouri, SMC has satellite operations in Kansas City, Missouri; Conway, Arkansas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Kansas City, Arrowhead Containers, a sheet plant, operates in 85,000-square-feet, with another 70,000-square-feet in an off-site warehouse. Arrowhead’s production leans toward a higher graphic mix and larger order quantities.
In addition to the tours, AICC attendees will hear from national and local brands about what they need and look for in their packaging. The member early bird deadline for Xperience, with a registration of $995, is Wednesday, January 12. To learn more about the conference and to register for this innovative event and enlightening plant tours, visit www.AICCbox.org/Xperience.
Questions about training and the value a well-trained workforce brings to a company can be directed to Taryn Pyle, Director of Education & Leadership Development, [email protected], or Chelsea May, Education and Training Manager, [email protected] or (703) 836-2422.