Applied Innovation

As Don Gray, director of technical services and general manager of PaperWorks' Baldwinsville operation explains, the PDI is "a product development task force that works on both our paperboard and packaging systems. Their mission is to explore new technologies and innovations that could become the next 'new thing' to add value to the packages we produce. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on trial time and machine time annually in the quest to create something new—something that doesn't even exist today. Even an add-value that's very subtle can create a new niche for us and we're committed to that kind of innovation."