Printed
paper "blankets" make a lasting impression
Pioneer
Converting Inc., Mira Loma, CA, wants customers
that use its protective, paper blankets to safeguard
items in transit to know where the material came
from. Via a Bell-Mark
Model 18222 one-color press, Pioneer prints its company name and logo on every roll of paper material it converts and ships. Pioneer Converting makes paper blankets, known as pads, for the 11 divisions of its parent company company, Pioneer Packing.
Pioneer Converting began in 1987 to exclusively make protective blankets but has since expanded into other compatible markets as well. This year, Pioneer expects to earn $10 million in sales, says Russ Scott, company president. "When we started out, we had just the one product, moving and storage blankets, and 5 employees," says Scott. "Now the blankets are about 50% of the business. And we've outgrown our original 10,000 square foot building. We're now in a 60,000 square foot plant and we have 60 employees."
Pioneer manufactures its paper blankets on a custom built,
65" wide rugator (similar to a sheeter) that runs
up to 10 rolls on the unwind. It adheres a 30 lb. or 40
lb. Kraft paper sleeve to single or multilayer interior
cushioning, which ranges from 1 ply Kraft to 2, 4, or
6 ply newsprint to up to 12 ply tissue. A typical construction
is a 30 lb., Kraft sleeve with a 1 ply, 26 lb. medium,
says Scott. Pioneer buys paper materials from a variety
of sources including Port Townsend Paper, Longview Fiber,
Simpson Kraft and Union Camp.
Each pad passes through a custom built embossing unit
to give it loft, or a cushioning effect, says Scott. To
print the Pioneer name and logo on the paper blankets,
Pioneer has a 1 color, 20" wide Bell-Mark flexographic
printing unit installed under the sheeter just before
the cut off section. Occasionally, a moving company requires
custom printing of its name or logo on the blankets, but
the unit is primarily used to identify Pioneer and its
locations. The press, which Pioneer runs at approximately
500 fpm, has been trouble free from the start, says Scott.
It has roughly 60 million impressions and uses durable
rubber plates. "We haven't had to do anything to
it except buy normal replacement parts. What really impresses
me is that I get a call from Bell-Mark at least once a
year just to make sure the press is running right."
Pioneer's material and equipment capabilities have taken
the company into additional markets in recent years. In
addition to paper blankets, it now also produces food
grade protective pads for fruit and produce, industrial
cushioning, butcher wrapping paper for supermarkets and
meat markets and dunnage newsprint used as an alternate
to Styrofoam packing peanuts.
Its
2, 72" wide Cameron winders and 3 refurbished sheeters
(137" wide, 72" wide and 65" wide) enable
Pioneer to take jumbo rolls of paper and rewind them into
various widths and diameters. For instance, it provides
3 to 72", 9" diameter rolls to companies that
wrap items on site prior to shipping. "We believe
that our 137" wide sheeter is the largest on the
West coast," says Scott.
The article above is reprinted from Converting Magazine. Users of this site are granted the limited permission to view this article on-line or print it locally for personal use. Any electronic or print reproduction, reprinting, retransmission, or alteration, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the express prior written permission of Cahners Publishing Company.
