Interstate Resources, Inc.
1800 N. Kent Street
Suite 1200
Arlington, VA 22209
Tri-annual newsletter of IRI + its affliates
InterstateNews
Dedicated to Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Company through Open Communication
www.iripaper.com
SPRING 2008
Message from the President…
by Jim Morgan
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In This Issue
Scholarship Program
Bobst Mastercut Install
Easternpak Receives Award
IT’s All About Information
Safety
Safety Steps
Bobst Pacific Polyjoiner
Ink—the Blood of Printing
Wax Replacement
Carbon Monoxide
Green Initiative for DoD
Sustainability
Evergreen Update
Safety Corner
NPT SFI Certification
Chipmill Ops
Christmas Concert
As is our practice to start each discussion targeted on safety and health, I had the pleasure of
presenting both annual safety awards to the UCI Team in Reading in February. They achieved the
distinction of being both the safest and the most improved facility in 2007. The eighteen months
that UCI has gone without a recordable lost time injury is a great start toward our zero injury/illness objective. We should all take a moment to think about safety today (and tomorrow) to assure
that we are safe at work and at home.
As we enter 2008, the challenge of an uncertain economic environment impacts our daily thought
process. Both on a personal and professional level, we are distracted by the concerns raised and
reported in the media. We hear about falling home values, defaulting mortgage programs, the
falling value of the dollar, and rising oil/energy costs. Sometimes it seems overwhelming to find a
path to success in this environment. Thinking of how to stay focused during these difficult times, I
recall a quote from Father Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame
and United States of America Congressional Gold Medal Recipient. When asked about communicating a vision, Father Hesburgh said, “It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully
on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” As you can imagine, it is especially important in these times that we stay focused on what we can do today to improve our lives and our
business. Each business unit has a specific set of objectives and our Leadership Team is diligently
attempting to make certain everyone in each business understands the actions that they can take
to support our planned improvements. The Interstate Team and each of you, mutually supported
by our family of Indevco companies, will prosper in 2008 if we stay positive and focused.
Strategically, we continue to focus on areas where we will outperform our competition, now and
in the future. The key attributes of being a customer-focused organization, with actionable international scope and a truly sustainable footprint, will serve us well in the marketplace. Our daily
efforts, as well as the strategy of the organization, start and end with our customers. Without
them, nothing happens in our business. As we work to clarify the specific direction of Interstate,
all targets are customer-driven and all measurements are in “the eye of the customer.” This is
supported by a clear belief that, in today’s world, all markets are global and all customers are
local. We will benefit from our actionable global presence and our “laser-like” focus on our customers’ needs.
Best Wishes for the balance of 2008 and remain safe in all that you do, both at work and
at home!
For comments or questions,
please contact Vicki Wunderle
703.243.3355 x 1009
[email protected]
page 2
Interstate Resources Scholarship Program
“Whenever you do a thing,
act as if all the world were
watching.”—Thomas Jefferson
Sons and daughters of salaried, non-represented
employees are encouraged to apply for the Interstate Resources Scholarship Program for the academic year 2008-2009. To be eligible, the parent
(employee) must have five or more years of service
with the Interstate group.
your local HR representative, if you need access to
this site. The forms must be printed, signed and
mailed directly to Coté, the scholarship administrator. All applications should be postmarked no later
than May 15.
REMINDER: Prior year recipients must reapply
Applications and information are available on to continue to be eligible.
UWEB (http://uweb.iripaper.com). Please consult
Bobst Mastercut Installation Unipak Nile (Egypt)
Our sister company, Unipak Nile, in Cairo, Egypt has
completed the installation of a Bobst Mastercut.
The picture at left was taken when Mr. Tony Frem
visited the team in charge of the installation.
Top Row: Jean Claude Barakat, Boulos El Khoury,
Antoine Douaiher, Tony Frem, Wadih Daccache, Tony
Habib, Marwan Diab, Yves Burgin.
Bottom Row: Souhad Bou Chabki, Samir Daccache
Easternpak Receives YUM! Supplier Award
The supplier of pizza boxes to “Pizza Hut” in the
Middle East, our sister company from Indevco, Easternpak Ltd., recently brought home an outstanding
supplier award from YUM! Restaurants International annual Supply Chain Management Conference.
The event, held at Hyatt Regency Sharm El Sheikh
Resort in Egypt, gathered executives of companies
that supply YUM! properties in the Middle East.
Conference topics aligned suppliers from across the
region to YUM!’s brand visions, technical innovations, supply chain system, quality assurance, and
food safety.
Fayssal Frem, Regional General Manager of INDEVCO Paper & Containers Division, and Pierre
Akl, General Manager of Easternpak, attended the
two-day event on 11-12 February 2008. YUM! approved Easternpak as a supplier of corrugated and
fast food packaging for the Middle East North Africa Pakistan (MENAPAK) region in February 2007.
Left: Pierre Akl Right: Fayssal Frem
page 3
IT’s All About Information
by Jerry Clark, Corporate Manager of IT
Sustainability, global warming, and environmental
stewardship are concepts receiving much press and
are in the forefront of many debates and discussions today. Historically, these debates have rarely
touched the IT world in a negative way. In fact, IT
has often been seen as a friend to the green movement - email saves trees, video conferencing minimizes the need for travel and the associated pollution that comes with it, and general improvements
in efficiency through technology reduce waste.
move to thin clients has been
the move to flat panel monitors - away from the CRT type
monitor. Both of these initiatives have not only resulted in
lowering energy consumption,
but also have the added benefit
of requiring less real estate on
the desktop, as well as having
fewer disposal implications.
As reliance on technology grows, its impact on our
environment expands as well. Not seen or apparent
when you use your cell phone or PDA, surf the Internet, use an ATM or credit card, or send an email
are the thousands of computers churning away in
some data center making this possible. Energy
consumption (the energy to power and cool these
data centers) has become a major focus within the
IT community.
Closely related to this and
equally beneficial has been the move away from
desktop printers to network printers. Again, the
benefits are lower energy consumption, improved
utilization of the desktop area, fewer units being
disposed of, and disposal on a less frequent basis.
Technology also becomes obsolete very quickly
(meaning old computers and systems must be discarded), again creating additional load on landfills
and as some are considered hazardous waste, requiring additional expense and handling in their
disposal. Thus, “IT Green” has become a well understood concept within the IT community.
Interstate is no exception when it comes to increasing the use of technology to improve our competitive position. Technology continues to play a greater role in how we conduct business and control our
manufacturing processes and machinery. Be they
converting or paper machines, a recovery boiler or
a hew saw, or just staying in touch with the operations through email or business applications, technology plays an increasingly critical part. As such,
we continue to evaluate systems, networks, and applications, and how they can be applied to improve
efficiencies in all areas of operations.
So specifically what is IT doing in this area?
One of the earliest efforts was the move away from
desktop computers to what is known as a ‘thin’ client computing. Many of you are now interacting
with applications utilizing these small, more energy efficient units instead of the larger, desktop
computers of a few years ago. In parallel with this
Moving away from the desktop and into the data
center, we have begun to consolidate servers, i.e.,
putting more applications on a single server utilizing
more of its computing capacity. This is possible due
to moving up to server class machines and networks
with greater throughput and higher reliability.
Plans for the future are to continue with these ongoing initiatives of moving to thin clients, flat panels,
network printers, and server consolidation, as well
as to leverage some of the emerging technologies
to further reduce server size, data storage, and application consolidation. Blade technology in conjunction with virtualization of servers within a bank
of blade servers and storage area networks (SAN)
are becoming more affordable for a company of our
size. These technologies will not only enhance our
position as being “IT Green” but, just as importantly,
improve our ability to protect our data and recover
systems in the event of a total server failure.
When it comes to our computing resources, think
CLEAR: Careful, Legal, Ethical, And Responsible and
remember, IT is all about information - collecting it,
massaging it, reporting it, analyzing it to increase
efficiency, improve decision-making, and enhance
performance.
“Picture in your mind a sense of
personal destiny.”—Wayne Oates
page 4
Safety
“One important key to success is
self-confidence. An important
key to self-confidence is
preparation.”—Arthur Ashe
the plant have redoubled their efforts to make an
improvement and it is paying off! For the past 6
by Dan Sassi, Corporate VP of Human Resources
months, the OSHA incident rate is just under 1.0,
Safety is a constant challenge and requires our at- based on only one injury. This is world-class perfortention at all times to prevent errors that may have mance and far exceeds their results for many years.
devastating consequences. For example, driving in (The best year ever at ICR was 2.0 OSHA rate in
high-speed traffic means anticipating the moves of 2005).
other cars and looking for possible accident situaElements of the safety initiatives include:
tions to avoid. When we become distracted, like •
Structured Safety Committee with regular
when making cell phone calls while driving, we lose
members, rigorous agendas, and frequent
some of this critical attention.
meetings.
The number of injuries company-wide to date in
2008 is not good - eight injuries in three months,
nearly double the number that we have had in our
average quarter. The locations suffering the injuries
are evaluating their safety programs and striving to
make corrections on a continuous basis.
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Machine safety audits, which make the
committee conspicuous to the workers on
the floor.
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With assistance from HR, the Job Safety
Analyses for all machinery are being updated.
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Analysis of the types of injuries have led to
specific training on arm injuries.
Another important measure of safety is the severity
of the injuries that are occurring. Fortunately, so far
in 2008, the severity is extremely low as measured
by “lost days of work due to injuries.” At 23 days,
our total is less than a quarter of the average in recent years.
“It’s not business as usual in safety at ICR, at least
in terms of the level of energy and activity, and this
may account for some of the improvement,” reports
Dan Sassi, VP-HR. “Seeing the GM, the President
of the company, the VP-HR, and others in the plant
A bright spot in the company today is the safety im- doing safety audits delivers a message and leads to
provement going on at Reading Box (ICR). For most more attention to detail,” according to Dieter Batty,
of last year, the safety committee and leadership of the HR Manager and Safety Committee leader
in Reading.
Getting to Know Each Other:
Steve Merriman, Infrastructure Group Supervisor, works with the (Infrastructure) group that
maintains all of the computer hardware for
Interstate (servers, PC’s, laptops, printers and
network equipment). This group also has responsibility for the computer operating system
software, Microsoft Office applications, email
system, and anti-virus software. The Infrastructure group maintains all network wiring at each
affiliate, as well as manages the wide area network
(WAN) that links the affiliates. They also maintain
the system of tape backups of data throughout the
company. Steve has been with Interstate for 3½
years. Steve states, “I have spent my entire career
in IT, with the last 20 years as a Network Engineer.
Most of my time has been in the paper industry, at
Union Camp and International Paper.”
When asked what he liked best about working at Interstate, Steve said, “One of the things that attract-
Steve Merriman, Infrastructure Group
ed me to Interstate was the ability for an individual
to make a real difference. Having a voice in strategic decisions, and knowing that your knowledge
and experience can make a difference, is a satisfying responsibility.” When asked what challenges
the Infrastructure group faces, Steve said, “With
the computer systems in place today, access to data
is a must. The goal of the Infrastructure group is to
supply seamless access to this data while maintaining a secure and stable network. This is the major
challenge facing the Infrastructure group today.”
Steve believes that, strategically, the future of the
Infrastructure group is to move the Interstate computer systems into the next generation of hardware
and software. He states, “Utilization of new, and
faster, network technologies and the use of blade
server platforms will give us a more manageable
infrastructure as well as a more sustainable IT.”
page 5
INTERSTATE CONTAINER—CAMBRIDGE (ICI)
Anniversaries
5 Years John Slaughter
(Hycorr Op–Leader)
Welcome Aboard
Bill Boyd (Corrugated Utility)
Mike Brady (Sequence Replacer)
Ed Fish (Mechanic)
DJ Jump (United Asst Operator)
Welcome Aboard (Cont.)
Jim Hawley (Maintenance Superintendent)
Chris Wheatley (Inline Asst Operator)
Ron Taylor (General Help)
Kevin Hurst (General Help)
Walfredo Mendez (Strapper Operator)
Will Schulze (General Help)
Mike Furbush (General Help)
Getting to Know Each Other:
Marsha Green, Administrative Assistant, has
worked for ICI for 6½
years. Marsha relocated from San Francisco
with her husband, Leroy,
and daughter, Amy, in
1998. Before joining ICI,
she did legal billing for
7 years.
Marsha’s role at ICI has evolved over time. She
started as a Staff Accountant, responsible for
production reporting and assisting with accounts
payable. She moved into customer service for a
time and then assumed the role of Administrative
Assistant. She is currently responsible for produc-
Marsha Green, Administrative Assistant
tion reporting, invoicing, roll-stock reporting, cash
posting, and keeping everyone in the office straight
- from office supplies to booking offsite meetings.
Her breadth of experience makes her an extremely
valued employee.
When asked about her greatest challenge, Marsha
stated, “Gathering information in a timely manner.
Everyone is so busy that it’s challenging to make
sure it all comes together.” When asked what she
liked best about working at ICI, Marsha stated, “I
like the current team! Everyone works well together, due in large part to Jim Krahn’s leadership.” In
the next three to five years, Marsha predicts that
the focus will be on “increasing sales and our range
of products.”
INTERSTATE CONTAINER—READING (ICR)
Anniversaries
January anniversaries:
30 years David Lausch (Shifts Superintendent)
20 years Ricky Colon (Asst Operator)
20 years Kevin Frymoyer (Operator)
March Anniversaries:
15 years Craig Van Arsdel (Controller)
15 years Lenny Epler (Rollstock Clerk)
Welcome Aboard
January New Hires:
Jabari Allen (General Help)
Gerson Caicedo (General Help)
Harland Lint Jr. (Corrugator Conveyer)
Bruce Pastorella (Corrugator Downstacker)
Troy Rickenbach (Corrugator Conveyer)
Jason Slater (General Help)
February New Hires:
John Anderson (Production Supervisor)
“Success is the prize for
those who stand true to their
ideas!”—Josh S. Hinds
page 6
INTERSTATE CONTAINER—READING (ICR) cont.
In Memoriam
Gary Goeltz (Forklift/General Help) passed away on January 2, 2008. Gary worked at ICR for 21 years and
was a past Union President. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, two step-daughters, Jessica and Sarah
Gantert, step-son, Alan Gantert, and son, Gary Geoltz Jr.
“There is no sadder sight than a
young pessimist”—Mark Twain
Ed Moore (Maintenance Electrician) passed away on January 27, 2008. Ed had been employed at ICR for
the past 7 years. He is survived by his wife, Jean, two sons and several grandchildren.
We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families of Gary and Ed.
Getting to Know Each Other:
Julie Nauman, Customer Relations Manager, has
been employed by Interstate Container for the past
17 years. She has been in the corrugated business
for over 26 years and is proficient in estimating and
pricing new business, including estimating items
on the new Polyjoiner. Additionally, Julie helped to
make the software transition from Zytek to Amtech
go smoother. When asked about challenges, Julie
replied, “Special pricing for certain customers due
to RFP bids make it very challenging in the Amtech
system. We must always be one step ahead of our
competitors to meet our customers’ needs.”
Julie Nauman, Customer Relations Manager
When asked what she liked best about the Interstate group, Julie said, “We all seem to have our
own little niche and, when we all put our ideas
together, we develop a fantastic result. I also enjoy working for a company that is always investing
in new equipment.” As far as Julie’s vision of the
company in the next three to five years, she said,
“The industry is forever changing - we are going to
be faced with constant challenges to meet our customers’ demands.”
Safety Steps
by Dieter Batty, Human Resources Manager
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Make sure to check for hazards before beginning a task and frequently during the task.
Your actions can be hazardous. Examine your own behavior for safety.
Remeber to plan on the exception and expect it to happen.
Be a safe leader on and off the job.
Always err on the side of safety.
Never trust your welfare to the odds of chance.
Don’t be bluffed by a false sense of security.
Play by the rules because…
ACCIDENTS DON’T HAVE TO HAPPEN!!!
page 7
Getting to Know Each Other:
Dee
Tokarski,
Customer Relations
Manager, has been
employed by Interstate Container for
the past 5 years.
Her role is to process and follow
customer orders through the plant to ensure on-time
deliveries. She has been in the flexible packaging
industry for 28 years and has held various positions in scheduling/planning and customer service.
Dee Tokarski, Customer Relations Manager
When asked about challenges, Dee replied that her
major goal is to “help our customers to better plan
for their needs, so that we do not have to deal with
schedule interruptions.”
When asked what she liked best about the Interstate group, Dee said, “We all work together striving toward complete customer satisfaction.” In the
next three to five years, Dee envisions Interstate
“being a lead competitor with high graphic capabilities and state-of-the-art equipment.”
Bobst Pacific Polyjoiner
by Ron McInnis, Operations Manager
ICR installed a new Bobst Polyjoiner specialty Gluer
during October of 2007. This is only the third machine of its kind sold in North America. Its flexibility
allows for the production of value-added products,
such as two-part display boxes, boxes with partitions, box-in-boxes, as well as conventional boxes.
The plant has successfully run its first commercial
order of 80,000 boxes for Mead Products with delivery in February 2008. We are very excited about
the possibilities going forward. This new technology will aid us in enjoying many new customers and
orders in the coming year!!
The Polyjoiner module has the latest technology, utilizing a unique robot which enables the simultaneous feeding of 2 to 3 blanks.
Bobst Polyjoiner
“Don’t ask for an easier life;
ask to be a stronger person”—
Kristen Goeser
page 8
Ink is the Blood of the Printing Process
by George Salloum, Graphics Manager
“Embrace Change. True success can be defined by your
ability to adapt to changing
circumstances”—Connie Sky
Viscosity and pH are the two components that we
must to continuously monitor. These two characteristics are interrelated - when one goes up the other
goes down. The plant should be knowledgeable
about their machines and type of pumps used to
feed the anilox rolls on the presses. Based on this
knowledge, a specific range of ink viscosity is determined. This task is mainly mechanical by knowing
the pump maximum rate, the hose diameters, and
whether the ink is agitated in the bucket. In order
to prevent foaming, we want to avoid any situation
that will result in the ink being extremely agitated.
We have found that our viscosity range is between
25 – 32 seconds in Zahn cup #2. Once the viscosity is set, then it is the ink supplier’s responsibility
Two very important ink characteristics, pH and vis- to produce ink that will have the pH between 9.2
cosity, must be monitored at all times. The monitor- and 9.4, with the viscosity within that range. It is
ing frequency can change from machine to machine, the ink supplier’s responsibility to provide the plant
with press-ready ink. The definition of press-ready
as well as from season to season.
ink is “a bucket of ink that has the requested viscosThe ink used in a closed coupled press where the ity and pH and will deliver the color on the press
pails are stored inside the stations is subjected to section that we designed the job to run on.”
the air turbulence caused by the vacuum transfer.
Such presses usually have infrared or hot air dry- A few years ago, stable pH (or neutral pH) ink was
ers, which make the agitated air hotter and speed developed. This type of ink is good for low qualthe ammonia evaporation in the ink pails. Ammo- ity flexo ink printing on Kraft and has proven to run
nia evaporation will cause a drop in the pH, which, very successfully in the corrugating plants. These
in turn, creates an elevation in the viscosity. The inks will run for many hours and the pH (7.8-8.2) will
actual result would be to print a darker color (poor not change, regardless of the ambient temperature.
quality) and to use more ink than needed (rising These types of inks do not need pH or viscosity adcost). Additionally, finely printed items will suffer justment; however, these types of inks are not good
from drying inks on the plates and bad transfer. This for high-end graphics because they are very poor as
far as trapping and transparency.
is a sure recipe for running a poor quality printing.
It is well known throughout the corrugated industry
that the anilox roll of the printing press is called “the
heart of the printing process.” Using the same analogy, we can call the flexo ink “the blood of the printing process.” People draw blood and get it analyzed
before a doctor’s visit for a physical to learn about
the level of sugar, cholesterol, and other irregularities that may have affected their bodies. Similarly,
when we run a printing press, we need to conduct a
sampling of the ink to determine its quality. The ink
can go bad during the process and negatively affect
the quality. This can result in higher cost, exactly
like tainted blood affects the heart and the entire
body of a person.
Since almost all corrugating plants do not have controls to keep the temperature constant during the
different seasons of the year, components in the ink
will evaporate faster in the hot summer season than
they do in the winter. This affects the presses that
have ink pails outside the stations and are protected
from the air turbulence of the vacuum transfer of
the press, but the high ambient temperature can
damage the ink by lowering the pH and raising the
viscosity consecutively.
It is strongly recommended that there be an automated viscosity meter on all sections of high-end
presses. This is mandatory for companies that
want to print high-end graphics. There are some
advanced automatic viscosity control systems
which are maintenance-free, and they are extremely
reliable and precise. Such systems monitor the viscosity and maintain the ink temperature at 68-70°
Fahrenheit, regardless of the ambient temperature.
page 9
How do we handle flexo ink to ensure that we are
optimizing our quality, cost reduction, and run productivity?
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If it is a spot color, check the color before
adjusting viscosity. (A good ink technician will
provide the press with ink to accurately correlate
with the approved ink draw-down approved by
the customer).
If manually monitoring the pH and viscosity,
never add water. Use ink refreshed with a
measured amount based on the pH number.
The plant must employ a knowledgeable
technical person, able to pose intelligent
questions to the ink supplier and logically
challenge them.
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Request that ink suppliers share the latest
development in the ink industry.
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Thoroughly train press operators and others who
deal with the ink and the printing process.
Frequency of checking the pH and viscosity
should be established based on the type of press
and the ambient temperature.
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Do not add glycol or excess anti-foam agents to
the ink as it may destabilize the ink rheology.
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Create a process mapping of the ink system in
the plant, organize and introduce a
lean concept into the plan.
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Once the logistics are in place, focus on the
handling of the product.
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Operators should be trained to safely open the
ink bucket using a special ink opener. Stir the
ink well with a wooden stick. Check the pH with
a calibrated pH meter. Follow calibration
frequency per pH meter manufacturer.
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The pH of the ink should be between 9.2
and 9.4.
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Place ink on the station and start the pump.
Make sure that the ink is not contaminated with
too much water still in the system or with
remaining ink from a previous run.
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Run the ink for 2-3 minutes.
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Convert the used ink that will not be used often
to turn it into black ink.
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Tightly close the pails that will be re-used.
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Operator training should be a repetitive planned
task in the plant.
These points help the corrugating plants run their
ink efficiently with high quality prints. It is also important to note that the points covered are for conventional inks, even though stable (or neutral) pH
ink was mentioned. In this article, there is no discussion of UV ink or metallic inks as both subjects
merit a separate article to explain their behaviors
and maintenance, along with various varnishes that
could add to the uniqueness of the packages that
we manufacture. This can set us apart from our
competitors and prove to our customers that we are
indeed a value-added supplier!
“And in the end, it’s not the years
in your life that count, it’s the life
in your years.”—Abraham Lincoln
page 10
INTERSTATE CONTAINER—LOWELL (ICL)
“A free lunch is only found in
mousetraps”—John Capuzzi
Anniversaries
20 years Roland Champoux
(Shipping Checker/Load)
15 years Kevin Nourath (Strapper Operator)
15 years Jonathan Phavorabouth
(Machine Operator)
10 years Rick Therrien (Maintenance Engineer)
5 years
Bob Fewtrell (Truck Driver)
Welcome Aboard
John Falk (General Manager)
Garfield Boothe (Management Trainee)
Michael Morassi (Sales)
Danielle McCarthy (Receptionist)
Fabio Arboleda (Manufacturing)
Joseph Kenney (Manufacturing)
Getting to Know Each Other:
Carlos Silva has been employed by ICL
since 1978. Currently, he is an operator
on the Koppers Flexo machine, a position he has held since 1987. Prior to
joining Interstate, he worked in a shoe
factory.
Carlos Silva, Operator
ten changeovers daily. Carlos states that he is
“very proud to have completed 22 changeovers in
one day.”
Carlos immigrated to the United States in 1970 from
Portugal and settled in Lowell after his marriage. Carlos, and his wife, Maria, have lived in the same house
When he began employment at Interstate, Carlos since 1978.
worked on the corrugator. Later, he moved to the
Mini and the S&S Flexo, prior to settling in at the Carlos has enjoyed working at Interstate Container
Koppers. Carlos and Sergio Reis, Assistant Op- Lowell “because of the consistent work and is proud
erator, have worked together since 1986. Today, to have never experienced a layoff.” He wishes to
they make a very productive team, performing over “be able to retire from ICL in ten years.”
Wax Replacement Products
by Terry Moore, Sales Manager
Wax Replacement Products are now making giant
in-roads. The Seafood Show held in Boston at the
end of February was an excellent indicator that the
seafood industry will be quickly moving to Wax Replacement. ICL is ahead of the curve as our experimentation, led by Henry Faria, has greatly improved
the run-ability of the Spectra-Kote products. Block-
ing is now minimal, printing with quick-drying inks
over the coating is acceptable, starch and additives
allow us to run an excellent sheet, and gluing with
special glues is working well. The seafood distributors are pleased with our progress and orders are
now coming in! This should spread to other industries as well, such as agriculture and meats.
page 11
The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide
by Karen Dukeshire, Administrative Assistant
First, and most importantly, I urge all of you to ensure that carbon monoxide detectors are installed
on every level of your home. Here is why:
I am the Executive Assistant of Interstate Container
Lowell and recently had an event occur that changed
the lives of me and my daughter – and I am thankful
to be able to write this!
I had been having “flu-like” symptoms for six months
and, despite tests for everything the doctor could
think of, there was not a firm diagnosis, with the
exception of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
We had a flood in our home in April of 2007 and
the basement had to be gutted. Unbeknownst to
us, when the water came in, our boiler had been
running and, when the cold water hit the hot boiler,
it had cracked something inside, as well as extinguishing the pilot. The boiler had been shut down
at that point. As time went on and the basement
dried out, we only turned the heat on every now and
then to get the chill out. As it turns out, the cracked
unit was emitting a low level of carbon monoxide…
just enough to produce the symptoms of the flu.
State of Massachusetts for each home to possess
at least one carbon monoxide detector, I purchased
one and installed it in the basement. This turned
out to be an action that saved our lives! One night,
we heard a beeping coming from the basement and
it was the carbon monoxide detector. I called the
Fire Department and they came to test the air. First,
they checked the water heater, which was fine; then
the dryer, which was also fine. The fireman then
asked me to turn the heat up to 80 degrees. Within
seconds, his meter reading was around 500 ppm,
a level that is lethal. Immediately, they disabled
the boiler, shut off the gas line feeding it, and cut
the power.
Two days later, I had the heating system replaced.
Within days, the flu-like symptoms that I had been
experiencing dissipated. When I think of what
COULD have happened if I hadn’t installed the
detector….well, it’s not something that I DO like
to think about. My daughter’s bedroom had been
down there before the flood.
So, please, go to a local Wal-mart or Home Depot
and purchase a carbon monoxide detector—for
yourself and all of your loved ones!
One day I saw a display for carbon monoxide detectors at Wal-mart. Since it is now mandatory in the
CPR Class
On January 19, 2008, several employees of ICL completed a two-year certification (and recertification)
class in CPR and First-Aid. These employees will be
helpful should a medical emergency arise, whether
here at ICL or while spending time with their loved
ones. The employees who participated are:
Eric Bettencourt (Shipping), Omar Calle (1st Shift
Press), John Considine (2nd Shift Press), Bill Covino (Driver), Jose Duarte (1st Shift Corrugator), Bob
Egan (2nd Shift Shipping), Karen Martin (1st Shift
Office), Joe Mello (1st Shift Corrugator), Mark
Melo (1st Shift Shipping), John Reis (HR Manager),
Helder Silva (2nd Shift Press) and Rick Therrien
(1st Shift Corrugator).
(Left to right, back row) Karen Martin,
Joe Melo, Eric Bettencourt, and Jose Duarte
(Left to right, front row) Rick Therrien,
Mark Mello, and John Reis
“Be beautiful if you can, Wise if
you want to…But be respected—
that is essential.”—Anna Gould
page 12
A Green Initiative for the Department of Defense
by Larry Nykwest, Technical Customer Service Manager
“No person will make a great
business who wants to do it all
himself or get all the credit”—
Andrew Carnegie
In the past few years, customers have shown that
they are becoming more and more engaged with
efforts involving sustainability and “Green Initiatives.” In 2006, through the efforts of Keith Gray
(ICL Design Manager) and Terry Moore (ICL Sales
Manager), Interstate began a “Sustainability” project for one of the largest customers in the United
States - The U.S. Army.
Interstate was invited to bid on a Department of
Defense (DOD) project for the U.S. Army, to modify
the current packaging design of Meals Ready to Eat
(MRE). The objectives were:
•
To have less overall fiber than the current design
•
To have equal compression strength
•
To have the ability to decompose in the field
Since 9/11, approximately 3-6 million MRE ration
cases are produced per year for the U.S. Army
alone. This current packaging incorporates a solid
fiber body and a corrugated insert. The solid fiber
body is made from three wet strength laminated liners (two 90# liners & one 69# liner), while the Corrugated B Flute insert is made with 55# liners and
a 26# medium. The total weight for such a package
is 393#/1000 sq. ft. These packages were originally designed for “burst or Mullen” strength after
World War II, but the true functionality is box
compression.
Needless to say, after meeting with representatives
from the U.S. Army Research facility in Natick, MA,
Interstate was awarded the grant to do research
and field testing. A team was formed that included
Keith Gray, Terry Moore, and me. While the task at
hand appeared quite daunting, we have made incredible progress with the following results:
• Most importantly, the corrugated boxes
(designed by Keith Gray), containing liner-board
grades suggested by the Technical manager, not
only have greater box compression strength than
the current MRE ration boxes, but have 61%
less fiber!
• Through various wax replacement coating trials,
Interstate has demonstrated that boxes can be
made with “non-wet strength” liners that can
hold up in a variety of conditions.
• Ultimately, testing conducted at the University
of Kansas has shown that all the prototype
boxes and respective coatings have the ability
to breakdown and decompose in the field.
Thus far, Interstate has more than demonstrated its
value and partnership with the DOD with regard to
their sustainability effort. The U.S. Army has again
requested that we submit a budget for additional
work and grant money for 2008. We anticipate that
this will entail actual production trials and airdrops
where product integrity will be evaluated.
INTERSTATE CONTAINER—FITCHBURG (ICF)
Anniversaries
10 Years George Mitchell (Operator)
Welcome Aboard
John Lane (Sales)
Greg Croteau (Co-op Student in Design)
Karen Guadagni (Customer Service Rep)
page 13
Getting to Know Each Other:
Bruce Lammi holds the unique position of Ink
Mixer at ICF.
Bruce has been at ICF (formerly Premier Packaging)
since 1983, working in various positions at the Slitter, Langston, and Flexo. In 1988, he moved to the
Die Room, where he was responsible for printing
dies. In 2001, he took over ink mixing responsibilities when the ink kitchen was created, where his
keen eye for color makes him a natural.
Bruce states that he “enjoys the job because every day brings a new challenge in producing various colors for ICF and ICL. On an average day, 200
pounds are mixed.”
Bruce Lammi, Ink Mixer
Prior to mixing any color, Bruce must
determine the anilox roll and paper
stock being used. The anilox roll is
of particular concern because rolls
with higher cell counts lead to a
thinner ink film, requiring stronger
inks. Stronger inks require more base color. This
concern will grow as the Rotary technical capabilities are increased.
Bruce resides in Fitchburg with Deborah, his
wife of 22 years, and their two children, Mariah
and Steven.
CPR/First Aid Certification
On March 14, several employees of ICF completed
a certification/recertification class in CPR and First
Aid. The employees who participated were Dave
Bourgault (Supervisor), Ivan Duarte (General
Help), Ben Easler (Operator), Austin Fisher (Mechanic), Danny Flagg (Die Room), Terry Jones
(Customer Service Supervisor), Joyce Joseph (Supervisor), Robinsons Techera (General Help) and
Margaret Whitcomb (General Help).
(Back Row) Danny Flagg, Robinsons Techera,
Joyce Joseph, and Terry Jones
(Front Row) Dave Bourgault, Margaret Whitcomb, Ivan Duarte, and Ben Easler
INTERSTATE CONTAINER—BRUNSWICK (ICB)
Anniversaries
10 Years Ginger Carducci
(Customer Service Representative)
Welcome Aboard
Ruddy Sosa-Nunez (Flexo Stacker)
Angel Gonzalez (General Labor)
Retirement
Congratulations to Virginio Cedeno (Flexo Operator) on his retirement.
Enjoy sunny Florida!
“You have to have your heart in
the business and the business in
your heart”—Thomas J. Watson
page 14
Getting to Know Each Other:
Zeb Johnson, Maintenance Technician, has
been with ICB for one year. His role as a maintenance mechanic is to take care of all building and mechanical repairs. Zeb says, “I have
been in this industry for ten years. The major
challenges I face are learning each machine
thoroughly.”
Zeb Johnson, Maintenance Technician
Zeb is enjoying his role at ICB. He states, “I have
already seen growth at ICB. I like the stability and
I like being part of it.”
Sustainability
“The golden rule for every
business is this: Put yourself in
your customer’s place.”—Orison
Swett Marden
Here at ICB, sustainability is taken very seriously.
Each year, ICB is the local township’s largest paper
recycler. All of our unusable pallets and scrap
wood are chopped and recycled by our pallet
vendor for recycling. Office paper, plastic and
aluminum are picked up monthly by the township’s recycling collector. The ICB Maintenance
Department recycles all old batteries. Our cleaning
solution is collected, picked up, and replaced by
Safety–Kleen, a vendor that properly handles this
type of product.
Additionally, used engine and gear oil is collected
in a safe storage tank, which is then collected by a
local recycling vendor.
UNITED CORRSTACK—(UCI)
Anniversaries
35 years Pat Brobst (Accts Payable Clerk)
20 years Pierre Fares (Corp Manager)
20 years Sam Wynn (Stock Prep Operator)
Condolences
We would like to express our sincere condolences
to John Miller (Warehouse Shipper), who recently lost his mother.
Celebrating 35 Years
Congratulations to Pat Brobst for celebrating 35 years with Interstate. In 1973, Pat began her career with
Interstate Container. In 1982, she went on to work at Intercorr until it closed. She then transitioned to UCI.
We also congratulate Pat on becoming a “Great Grandmother” for the first time on St. Patrick’s Day.
Left to right: Charles Feghali, Jim Morgan, and
Pat Brobst
Pat Brobst – Accts Payable Clerk
page 15
Evergreen Community Power—Update
The Evergreen Community Power (ECP) site is busy
with activity. The main boiler building, at 192 feet
of steel elevation, is visible from every angle of the
surrounding area. The fuel bins, sand silos, and
limestone silo that will feed the process have been
set into position. The boiler recycle cyclone and
loop seal have been installed, while the combustor water walls are being assembled in the nearby
Cedarpak building. The boiler steam drum has just
recently been set at the upper elevation of the boiler steel, and the hot electrostatic precipitator has
been erected over just the past few weeks. On the
top tier of the site, activity has focused on the foundations for the fuel storage and conveying systems.
At the south side of the site, the high voltage substation is being doubled in size to accommodate the
new electrical transmission configuration, which
will enable the operation to export, as well as import, electrical power.
The Evergreen Community
Power team of Pete Kline,
Bret Pardew, and Cliff
Heistand are busy working on staffing, qualification, and training for the
new operating team. Pete,
Bret, and Cliff have spent
their careers in the steam
and power industry with
specific emphasis on solid
fuel fired operations and
circulating fluidized bed
boilers. General Physics,
who provided training for
the United Corrstack paper
mill start-up, has been retained to develop and
deliver training for the ECP operation. The team
is also working on the development of operations,
maintenance, computer, and financial systems for
the new business.
Safety Records
563 days without a recordable incident • Year 2007 without a recordable incident
Our safety team is a combination of Operations,
Maintenance, and Human Resources with Hourly
and Salary participation. It is a unique group who
openly challenge each other, contractors, and fellow employees.
Back Row: Cory Clay (Operations Foreman), Dave Stauffer (General Manager),
Ron Johnston (Production Manager),
Jim Morgan (President-IRI), Ray Knarr
(Maintenance Supervisor), Chris Hassler
(Superint.), Bill Dietsch (Maintenance
Supervisor), Ken Day (Maint. Manager)
Front Row: Mike Kreiser (Mechanic
Maintenance), Rick Roeder (Mechanic),
John Strunk (Quality Process Engineer),
Art McLaughlin (Operations Manager)
In recognition of the 2007 safety performance, UCI
received both the Safety Plant of the Year, as
well as the Most Improved Plant of the Year.
“Don’t forget until too late that the
business of life is not business,
but living.”—B. C. Forbes
Dave Stauffer (General Manager - UCI) and
Jim Morgan (President-IRI)
page 16
INTERSTATE PAPER—RICEBORO (IPC)
“The secret of business is to
know something that nobody else
knows.”—Aristotle Onassis
Anniversaries
November anniversaries:
20 years Matt O’Quinn (First Helper)
20 years Del Vohringer (Mechanic)
15 years Mike McCartney (Fourth Assistant)
5 years Eddie Hall (Customer Service Rep)
December anniversaries:
30 years Gregory Richardson (Third Assistant)
January anniversaries:
40 years Guerry Sanders (Storekeeper)
40 years Herman Wiggins (Power Supervisor)
40 years Jerry Young (Crew Leader)
35 years Mickey Sapp (Mechanic)
30 years Randy McMillan (Fourth Assistant)
5 years Joe Lee (Mechanic)
5 years Danny Peery (Mechanic)
February anniversaries:
40 years Henry Brewton (Storekeeper)
40 years Billy Brown (Prod. Supervisor)
40 years Corbitt Hunter (Prod. Supervisor)
40 years John Tillman, Sr. (Prod. Supervisor)
35 years Keith Pitts (Crew Leader)
30 years Mike Cerra (Third Assistant)
20 years Kyle McCrary (Fourth Assistant)
15 years Mike Cox (Process Eng. Mgr.)
10 years Phillip Christian (Mechanic)
Welcome Aboard
Gregory Rogers (Sequence Replacer)
Monte Powell (Assistant Paper Mill Manager)
Nick Wells (Sequence Replacer)
Matt Griffin (Sequence Replacer)
Retirees
We congratulate the following employees upon
their retirement:
40 years
40 years
36 years
33 years
Billy Brown
John Tillman, Sr.
Bob Barnes
Don Beasley
All the best to you guys—we will miss you!!
Condolences
Our sincere sympathy goes out to the following employees who lost loved ones recently: Chris Stacy (Finishing/Shipping), Benji Strickland (Mechanic), Earl Austin (First Assistant), Mike McCartney (Fourth
Assistant), Carol Stacy-Screen (Administrative Assistant), Willie Tyson (Second Assistant), Russell
Garrett (MIS Manager), and Meta Willis (Technical Assistant).
In Memoriam
We were saddened by the passing of Sam Bacon, a long time Interstate Paper employee. Sam worked
in the Building & Grounds’ crew for many years. We extend our sincere condolences to the Bacon family.
page 17
Getting to Know Each Other:
Sandra Butler, Senior Accounting Clerk
Sandra Butler (Senior Accounting Clerk) has been
with IPC for 35 years. Her role at Interstate includes
accounts receivable, billing, period end entries, and
intercompany reconciliations. Prior to Sandra’s current duties, she also handled accounts payable (just
as IPC became computerized). Sandra states that
her biggest challenge is “getting my job done in a
timely manner with no errors. I struggled with this
when I first took over the billing function, but now
I prioritize my work schedule. All work is processed and invoiced immediately.”
Safety Corner
• Light Fixtures—Keeping light bulbs and fixtures
cleaned improve their ability to illuminate. Dirty
and/or dusty light fixtures can be a fire hazard.
By Ronnie Moore, First Aid/Safety
The Savannah Sugar Refinery (Imperial Sugar) explosion on February 7th, 2008, was a devastating
event that hit home with many industries in the surrounding areas. According to news reports, OSHA
is still investigating to find the cause of the explosion. One of the first items discussed was “housekeeping.” Housekeeping should be an integral part
of every workplace safety program. Here is a list of
seven hazards that apply to every industry:
• Dirt and Dust—Dirt and dust are everywhere,
although they do seem to accumulate more in some
work environments than others. Good ventilation
systems may help, but still cannot catch all the dirt
and dust.
• Spills—The best way to prevent spills is to avoid
them. Whatever the spill, it needs to be cleaned up
immediately.
• Waste Disposal—Appropriate waste receptacles should be close to areas that generate waste.
Regular collection of waste by dumpster pick-up is
essential.
• Floors and Walls—Make sure floor surfaces
are in good shape. Loose tiles, worn carpets, and
slippery floor surfaces need to be corrected. Make
sure floors and walkways are kept clear. Walls and
surrounding areas should be painted in contrasting
colors.
When asked what she likes best about working
at IPC, Sandra stated, “We have a great group all are willing to help where needed. I strongly
believe that we have stayed strong (when other
companies have failed) due to praying employees at
IPC.” In the next three to five years, Sandra envisions Interstate as continuing to be “profitable and
strong in the industry.”
• Tools and Other Equipment—Dirty power
tools can be very hazardous. Dusty power tools may
force the tool’s motor to overheat, ultimately causing an electrical hazard. All tools should be properly
maintained and properly stored.
• Storage —Storage areas where boxes and other items are stored should be stable and not stacked
too highly. The view of pedestrians should not be
obstructed. Storage items should be properly labeled and should be kept clear of sprinkler systems.
Flammables, combustibles, and toxic substances
require special storage and handling procedures.
They must be stored in approved containers and in
the proper environments.
Interstate Paper has had three injuries so far
this year (two first-aid cases and one recordable).
Our incident rate is 1.95. Our best standing record
is 1.45.
Newport Timber/RB Lumber has had two first aid
cases and no recordables!
Let’s keep the injuries to a minimum and have
our best records yet in 2008!
“To succeed in business, to reach
the top, an individual must know
all it is possible to know about
that business.”—J. Paul Getty
page 18
(Left to right) Ronnie Moore (First Aid/Safety),
Sophia Warwick (Senior Accountant), Carol
Stacey-Screen (Administrative Assistant), and
Sheleyn McCollum (Prod. Scheduler).
Community News
Interstate Paper held its annual Christmas Party in
December and, in keeping with tradition, everyone
brought a gift for underprivileged children living in
the surrounding areas. Gifts collected were taken
to the local Family and Children Services for distribution.
NEWPORT TIMBER—(NPT)
“We have not inherited the world
from our forefathers—we have
borrowed it from our children.”—
Proverb
Welcome Aboard
Suzanna Dillon (Staff Accountant)
Mervyn Rawlins (Scaler)
Best Wishes
Melvin Marchant (Retired NPT Forester) returned home last week after open-heart surgery. Our prayers
are with Melvin and Judy as Melvin recuperates.
Condolences
NPT sends out condolences to Torrance Bacon (RBL Maintenance Manager) and his family on the loss
of his father-in-law.
Taking the Next Step – Certification
Newport Timber is in the process of taking the step
from active Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) Program Participant to third party certification to the
SFI Standard. Independent third party certification
to the SFI Standard provides verified assurance that
a Program Participant’s practices in the field meet
the SFI Standard requirements.
NPT has retained a consultant, Scott Berg of R.S.
Berg and Associates, to provide training and template documents necessary for review by an auditor.
Training was conducted for NPT employees on February 5. Implementation of processes and systems
to document compliance has begun. Plans are to
select an auditor and achieve third party certification by the end of the third quarter of 2008.
page 19
Getting to Know Each Other:
Leroy Izzard, Scaler
Leroy Izzard (Scaler) has been with NPT for one
year. Leroy and his wife reside in Hinesville, GA.
He has four children. His oldest daughter lives in
Valdosta, GA, where she is a student at Valdosta
State University.
Leroy says that his “biggest
challenge is maintaining truck
turn-around time by optimizing trucks to unloading areas.”
Leroy’s job duties are to weigh in/out log trucks carrying timber and other products purchased by the
company. His job also requires him to inspect each
load to ensure it meets a specific standard and direct it to the proper off loading area.
Leroy’s outlook for the company would be that the “company should become
more efficient through the implementation of technology.” He expects that some of the tasks he performs daily will be reduced to monitoring and conducting basic observation of operations.
RB LUMBER CO.—(RBL)
Safety:
Welcome Aboard
Ignacio Sanchez-Varquez (Merchandiser)
Donald Eernisse (Maintenance)
Dana Frazier (Maintenance)
Kevin Shavers (Maintenance)
Stanley Walker (Maintenance)
Lawrence Walthour (Maintenance)
RB Lumber has had
156 safe days with
a 2008 OSHA Incident Rate
of 0.00.
Condolences
RBL sends out condolences to Torrance Bacon (RBL Maintenance Manager) and his family on the loss
of his father-in-law.
Chipmill Operations
RB Lumber Company assumed operation of the
Newport Timber chipmill on August 21, 2006. Currently, the chipmill operates twenty-four hours per
day/six days per week, producing 14-15,000 tons of
wood chips per week. This is 80+ percent of the IPC
weekly chip needs. Due to the unavailability of purchased chips on the open market, the percentage of
chips furnished by the chipmill has increased 30%
over the last eight years. As IPC increases production, the chipmill will be required to keep pace. The
chipmill, which was built in the late 1990’s, was designed to run 9-10,000 tons per week. It is currently
producing 50% more tons at essentially the same
cost per ton without any significant improvements
to the mill since conception.
Although chip production has significantly increased, we continue to require a high standard
of chip quality. Newport Timber maintains an independent contractor on-site to take chip samples
of both internally made and externally purchased
chips. If chip quality falls below standard, Newport
Timber requires that RB Lumber shut down and fix
the chipmill in order to make chips of the required
quality, the same requirement expected from our
former contractors and external chip sources.
Our goal at the chipmill is to produce the highest
quality chips at the lowest possible cost.
“In the long term, the economy
and the environment are the same
thing. If it’s unenvironmental, it is
uneconimical. That it the rule of
nature.”—Mollie Beattie
page 20
Christmas Concert Held in Memory of Georges Frem
“If you don’t think every day is a
good day, just try missing one.”—
Cavett Robert
The Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra presented a Christmas concert in memory of Georges
Frem at the St. Joseph Church of the Jesuit University of Beirut. This concert was held as a tribute to
Georges Frem as the man who strongly believed in
the artistic mission of the Conservatoire. To achieve
his lifelong dreams, he founded a philanthropic
foundation now known as the Georges N. Frem
Foundation. Among many of its initiatives contributing to economic, educational and rural development and promoting a democratic and pluralistic
society, comes the initiative of upholding the culture of peace through one of God’s most precious
gifts, MUSIC….
Wedding of Bahjat and Maya Frem
Bahjat & Maya Frem were married on January 4,
2008 at St. Joseph Church in Jounieh, Lebanon.
The wedding ceremony was followed by dinner in
the Grand Hall at the Phoenicia Hotel.
Congratulations and best wishes to Bahjat and
Maya Frem!
(Left to right) Mrs. Hayat Georges Frem, Bahjat Frem,
Maya Frem, and Neemat Frem