CREVE COEUR, Mo. and CHICAGO, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation today announced productivity, supply chain and sustainability benefits for manufacturers at the 2009 Packaging Machinery Manufacturing Institute's Pack Expo in Las Vegas.
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John Eaton, vice president of Smurfit-Stone's Automated Packaging Systems (APS) group, told Pack Expo attendees that, "Our Meta® machines increase manufacturing efficiencies while reducing product damage and waste, as well as labor and material costs. The Meta® cases are designed to use less fiber while maintaining structural strength, which allows manufacturers to reduce their supply chain costs and meet their sustainability goals."
The Meta® family of machines, including the Meta Wrap-8(TM) and Meta FS(TM) featured at Pack Expo, produce North America's only eight-sided cases. The Meta® cases feature mitered corners, which result in increased stacking strength and reduced fiber requirements. The cases' corner panels also allow additional high-impact graphics for on-the-shelf differentiation.
"Making a case with less fiber and less weight results in fewer shipments to deliver the same number of cases, which helps to reduce the use of fossil fuels and prevent pollution," said Eaton.
The Meta FS(TM) uses full servo or "smart technology" to form Meta®-8 cases around a fixed mandrel, allowing quick changeover to different heights for boxes that share the same footprint. The Meta®-8 case produced by the Meta FS(TM) machine uses 17 percent less fiber to provide the full compression strength of a regular slotted case (RSC), or it can provide 18 percent more stacking strength using 5.7 percent less fiber using a two-and-a-half inch miter.
The servo technology minimizes the number of moving parts, machine maintenance, and operating noise level.
The Meta Wrap-8(TM) forms the case around the manufacturer's products, which serve as the mandrel. The Meta Wrap-8(TM) also minimizes the packaging footprint in the manufacturing environment with one machine replacing three -- the case former, loader and sealer. The Meta Wrap-8(TM) utilizes electronic motion controls to maximize machine flexibility and speed, dramatically enhancing changeover repeatability for multiple case configurations.
"In addition to improving the manufacturer's productivity and reducing supply chain costs, the Meta Wrap-8(TM) also positively impacts a manufacturer's sustainability performance," said Eaton. "The Meta Wrap-8(TM) produces packaging that uses 22 percent less fiber to provide the compression strength of an RSC, or it can provide 18 percent more stacking strength using 6 percent less fiber using a two-and-a-half inch miter."
Smurfit-Stone's Recycling division also supports the Company's corrugated container and APS customers by providing them with recycling and waste services. The Recycling division manages customers' waste streams, reducing their costs and improving the sustainability of their operations.
Smurfit-Stone is continually looking for new and innovative ways to serve its customers, including managing recycling and waste solution services for some of the largest companies in the United States. The Recycling division's teams of waste management experts work to create 360-degree sustainability programs for customers that include turning scrap into new products.
Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation is one of the industry's leading integrated containerboard and corrugated packaging producers and one of the world's largest paper recyclers. The company is a member of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® and the Chicago Climate Exchange. Smurfit-Stone generated revenue of $7.04 billion in 2008; has led the industry in safety every year since 2001; and conducts its business in compliance with the environmental, health, and safety principles of the American Forest & Paper Association.
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Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation
CONTACT: Mike Mullin, +1-314-656-5846, or Lisa Esneault,
+1-314-656-5786, both of Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation
Web Site: http://www.smurfit-stone.com/
