Roots in 
Sustainability

Flexo printing operation Portco Packaging, based in the Pacific Northwest, is a company founded on the principles of sustainability in packaging—using renewable materials where possible, while still delivering the highest quality product to the customer. Portco has a long history of using paper as its primary substrate. However, in response to changing market demands, Portco has moved into laminated film structures without comprising its commitment to sustainability.

"We're a water-based company," says Rich Castillo, manager of Portco Packaging. "We print with all water-based inks, no solvents."

Portco laminates polypropylene, polyethylene, and cellophane, along with other specialty films. "We're doing something other companies aren't. It's a unique offering," Castillo remarks. "We're able to produce high-end packaging with 150 line screen graphics using water-based inks. We do business with companies that have the same philosophy of sustainability."

"If a customer needs a package with an extended shelf life, we want to make sure we can produce it for them," Castillo says. "Our sales force works closely with our customer base to understand their product needs and that allows us to design packages that fit those needs both functionally and economically."

Portco's commitment to sustainability is illustrated by something for which Castillo is very proud—the combination of water-based inks and solventless laminations. "There are only a handful of companies out there that can produce high-end packaging using these technologies together," Castillo says.

The right stuff

Portco places a major emphasis on keeping its employees well-versed in all aspects of the printing industry, and it sends them to one of the premier training grounds for professionals in the industry—Clemson University in South Carolina.

In addition to this, Portco is currently taking advantage of the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) sponsored FIRST Certification training program. "We have currently embarked on a company-wide training program," Castillo says. "They have an excellent training process."

The company expects all its operators to be Level III certified by the FTA. "It's an ongoing process," Castillo says.

"For years we were isolated. We're in the Pacific Northwest. But with the help of the FTA and its FIRST virtual campus, we are able to bring the training home," Castillo adds.

Portco not only keeps its employees well trained, but also keeps its equipment up to date.

"The industry changes at such a fast pace," says Castillo. "The challenge is to stay ahead of the curve, to stay relevant, to always push the envelope, and to always stay adaptable. Paper is our history. It's a passion. But the film side is growing daily. I would expect, in the next five years, to see film revenue surpass paper. Many of our customers are able to take advantage of our ability to convert both paper and film."

Recently, it purchased an eTURRET slitter/rewinder from Comexi. It was the first company in the United States to install one, and, as far as Castillo knows, Portco is the only company with an eTURRET in operation in the U.S.

"The eTURRET wasn't the least expensive, but it's the best technologically and mechanically," Castillo says. "It's operator friendly and the installation was flawless. We were in production two days after it was installed. It allows us to keep our costs down, and we doubled our production overnight. It's an example of staying ahead of the curve. It's a long-term piece of equipment."

He added that once the slitter is set up, it's a continuous process and there is none of the downtime generally associated with conventional slitter/rewinders.

"The way Portco's production is geared up ideally suits the eTURRET, which uses a double turreting rewind system, offering significant increases in productivity compared to other rewinding systems," observes John Ferreira, vice president, Comexi North America. "This offers a totally automatic operational cycle, minimizing contact with the operator and the finished product, and allowing continuous production, thus permitting the end user to make the best use of the investment and also increase productivity to a much higher degree. I would like to emphasize that the machine is very user friendly and offers outstanding performance in terms of machine uptime. Portco can increase its productivity a great deal. On top of that, the addition of automatic roll pushers on the rewind shafts will be very helpful to the operators by preventing any heavy lifting. Another important aspect, which Portco needed for the food industry, is that hygiene is also improved by using just electrical motors and avoiding hydraulics."

Roots in flexible packaging

Portco was founded in 1929 with just one customer, Crown Zellerbach. Since then it has produced a wide range of products, but has kept its roots where it all began in flexible packaging. Today, it has two plants: one in Vancouver, Wash. and one in Toppenish, Wash. where it produces multi-wall paper bags and printed roll stock for food, agricultural, and industrial markets. The plants are strategically located to serve the Pacific Northwest and the entire West Coast, with the ability of reaching most of its western customers in less than 24 hours. It also has rail access at both plants to economically serve customers in the Midwest and east coast. pP