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TAPPI CPD Holds Successful Conference

TAPPI’s Corrugated Packaging Division (CPD) held a successful conference and CorrExpo show last week Indianapolis. The two- and a half-day conference featured a two-day keynote by motivational speaker Joel Weldon, who discussed how change can bring opportunity to box makers.

Weldon gave attendees tips on how to bring these new ideas back to the plant and how to effectively get the plant to implement them.

The program topics concentrated on corrugating maintenance, converting maintenance, and HRD/safety.

There were 812 pre-registered attendees and another 287 that registered on-site. In addition, 144 exhibitors displayed their wares at the CorrExpo show. Many exhibitors said they were very pleased with the increased attendance at the show and the quality of the attendees.

“We had lots of people that came here with the active interest to buy machinery,” says Lance Head, vice president of sales for Hycorr Machine Corp.

This year, TAPPI’s CPD offered a unique discount to area box plants — all box plants within 50 miles of Indianapolis were offered to have all their employees attend the conference and show for one price. The CPD had 34 box plants take advantage of that offer.

Craig Garbarini, recently retired from Smurfit-Stone and now with his own consulting company, Garbarini Corrugated Consulting LLC, passed along the leadership of the CPD to Richard White, vice president of sales and marketing for Harper Machinery Corp. The second vice chair position is now Eric Eisert and the second vice chair is Jeff Pallini, president of Fosber America.

The division also hands out several scholarship awards to students. The MHI scholarship was awarded to Susan Short, a junior at North Carolina State in the paper sciences management field. The Bobst Group scholarship was awarded to Lisa Mackowski, a junior at UI Urbana in biochemistry. The John Telesca Engineering Scholarship was awarded to Catherine Currance, a paper science engineer major at North Carolina State.OBM

Callout: “We had lots of people that came here with the active interest to buy machinery.”--L. Head, Hycorr Machine Corp.