Caraustar

WASHINGTON, D.C.—One hundred percent recycled paperboard packaging won 11 awards in the National Paperboard Packaging Competition, hosted by the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) and announced at an awards banquet on March 24. The winning packages demonstrated the versatility of coated recycled paperboard (CRB) as a packaging material as well as the wide variety of product categories that are now utilizing it. Winning CRB entries encompassed packaging for frozen food, club store, personal care and household products, among others. "These awards are a testament to the quality, value and performance properties of 100% recycled paperboard," said Paul Schutes, executive director, RPA-100%. "The use of 100%

The folding carton market is facing a stiff challenge from alternative packaging and foreign competition, but the industry is gearing up for the challenge. by Tom Polischuk, Editor-in-Chief IF THE VIEW of Ben Markens, president of the consulting firm Converter's Resource, is correct, the folding carton industry has a big target on its back. It seems as though a couple "great whites" are trying to gobble up chunks of the folding carton volume pie, and for the short-term are doing a pretty good job of it. The hungry sharks in question come in the form of stand-up pouches and overseas manufacturing. "Competition

Caraustar's Chicago Carton Plant uses its strengths in sheetfed offset printing to be a best-value supplier of paperboard packaging. SHEETFED OFFSET PRINTING is a specialty at Caraustar's Chicago Carton Plant. They've been doing it for the past 40 years, since the founding of the original Crane Carton Company by Alan Crane. The plant provides printed virgin and recycled paperboard materials to a variety of end-use markets, including dry and frozen foods, hardware, automotive, entertainment, and software. With Caraustar's status as one of the largest North American producers of recycled paperboard, Paul Curtis, general manager of Caraustar's Chicago and Grand Rapids, Mich. plants, says

No Boom Boxes (Carton Converter Profiles)

Though some negative factors are afoot, carton converters continue to eke out profits. by Susan Friedman, Editor The slowing economy, coupled with board price pressures and rising energy costs, have prompted many bigger players in the folding carton market--Caraustar, International Paper, and Mead among them--to issue decreased end-of-2000 earnings projections in recent months. In December, Mead revised its fourth quarter earnings estimates for its paper and containerboard businesses due in part to unfavorable pricing conditions, and announced its Packaging Division had been negatively affected by soft market conditions and weak foreign currency. International Paper's revised projections announcement cited energy costs, particularly natural gas