corruga.expert

FOUR NUMBERS THAT MATTER MORE THAN CORRUGATOR SPEED Waste by job. Availability and changeovers. Good boxes shipped per staffed hour. Paper-price recovery and working-capital days. These four measures deserve fresh attention as SICBMA reports a sharp kraft-paper cost increase in South India. Mitul Shah has been appointed president of ICCMA as India’s corrugated packaging market is forecast at $14.33bn for 2026. Our analysis connects his manufacturing background and Supack’s investments with the financial choices facing box…

CALIFORNIA CORRUGATED PLANT CLOSURE BRINGS DIGITAL PRINTING AND CONVERTING EQUIPMENT TO AUCTION A corrugated packaging and display plant in Cerritos, California, is closing. Capital Recovery Group (CRG) is offering digital printing, flexo converting, die-cutting and material-handling equipment through an online auction. A KEY LOT: THE 2018 BARBERÁN JETMASTER The sale includes a six-colour Barberán digital press, Langston and Latitude converting lines, Ward rotary die-cutting equipment, and systems from Signode, Mosca and Alliance. Bidding opens October 22, with lots beginning to close October…

INTERNATIONAL PAPER’S $6 BILLION QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS TO EUROPE? Less than two years after acquiring DS Smith, International Paper is weighing a sale of its EMEA packaging business. Lone Star and Atlas Holdings are reportedly interested, with an indicative valuation below $6 billion. No sale has been agreed. The figures tell a deeper story: EMEA made $784 million in adjusted EBITDA in 2025 yet reported a $236 million segment operating loss. What would a sale — or a spin-off — mean for paper supply, future investment and the people running Europe’s box plants? Our full analysis follows the…

PCA’S $275M NEWARK PLANT IS RUNNING — MIDDLETOWN TO CLOSE, 91 JOBS AFFECTED Packaging Corporation of America has started production at its new 550,000-square-foot corrugated plant in Newark, Ohio, while preparing to close its Middletown facility by the end of 2026. The decision raises a major question: when is building a new box plant more profitable than modernizing an existing one? Our analysis compares PCA’s $275 million investment with International Paper’s $225 million project and Smurfit Westrock’s $136 million facility. We examine the differences in investment costs, automation,…

KOENIG & BAUER — INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN ERBE Kevin Erbe, National Sales Manager – Corrugated at Koenig & Bauer (US/CA), highlights the company’s expanding corrugated portfolio, including Prima Series / PrimaCUT, CutPRO and Omega Magnus 165–230. FROM PRINTING TO DIE CUTTING AND FOLDING/GLUING Watch the short Corrugated Week interview to hear how Koenig & Bauer is broadening its offering for corrugated converters. YouTube link: https://youtu.be/bA3yht2tqI4?si=6_LL7yDeo8U3Gti1 #KoenigAndBauer #CorrugatedWeek2026 #CorrugaExpert