Dicar® And Wagner Die Supply® Announce Alliance

Living with Complexity

Dicar BCN Supplier's Report 2010

Dicar's Phil Wood Continues Teaching at Fox Valley Technical College

Pine Brook, New Jersey Ñ Dicar, Inc. and Ontario, California based Wagner Die Supply, Inc. have entered into an agreement whereby Wagner will be responsible for sales of the entire Dicar urethane product line in the Western States of Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Dicar's product offerings include die cutting covers, Anvilok III® glue lap systems, Equalizer$reg; systems, AirDicar™, lead edge feed replacement treads, crushless® wheels, and many other problem solving, production improving products.

For the past four years, Wagner's Ontario, California, Tacoma, Washington, and Chicago, Illinois locations have been stocking stations for Dicar. "We are pleased to be able to expand our relationship with a company for which we have so much respect," reports Ron Rauschart, Dicar's Vice President of Sales.

Greg Baker, a 5 year veteran with Wagner and 25 year industry veteran, will head up the sales of Dicar products. In addition, Wagner recently added Frank Gamez to their sales team. Frank, a 15 year veteran of the corrugated industry with experience in production, customer service, and sales, will also concentrate on Dicar products.

Wagner's history dates back to 1947, when a company named Frank Wagner and Son was founded by Bob and Frank Wagner. After Bob's passing in 1970, Ellsworth Knutson, Wagner's long time CPA, acquired the company. Wagner Die Supply, Inc. has become a major supplier of die supplies to die makers worldwide with facilities in Ontario, CA, Elmhurst IL, and Dallas TX.

"We are confident, our existing customers, and hopefully new customers, will receive the service and support they deserve with Wagner" states Rauschart.

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By Steve Warll, AICC Associates Chairman

Walk into almost any supermarket today and what do you see? You are faced with an overwhelming diversity of choices for most products. In everything from toothpaste, to diapers, to beverages is there in an abundance of variations of not just sizes, but colors, tastes, flavorings and all varieties of "brand extensions." If you like Coca Cola, perhaps you'll also like Cherry Coke, and if you like Cherry Coke, how about Diet Cherry Coke? Twelve ounce can, 18 ounce or two liter bottle? You've got choices.

This proliferation of products can make the whole process of shopping complicated. However the population is also complicated and this growing assortment of choices for basic products is there for a reason. Some may be marketing gimmicks, but others are serving specific consumer needs. Not surprisingly packaging has also become more diverse and complicated over the years, and by extension, so has the process of corrugated converting.

We all know that the days of making just basic brown boxes are long gone for most box plants. In everything from graphics to structural design box making has gotten more complicated. It is important to realize that the converting process has, by necessity, been forced to keep up and follow this trend. The good news is that there is a large selection of equipment, technology and expertise that allow the box maker to capitalize on these changes. However it's important to pick the right technology, and consider the process from beginning to end.

Converting starts with the paper, and over the years there has been a growing trend of more recycled content. In recent years more and more corrugated is being made with lighter but stronger liners. There are also a diversity of flute combinations with micro flutes becoming more common. Converting this growing diversity of corrugated requires converters to consider how each paper and flute combination can be affected from the beginning to the end of the process. Printing, die cutting and material handling can all react differently to these different paper grades and flute combinations. It's often the independent box makers that lead the charge of innovation with new products and designs and often the independent is left to figure out how to adapt and how to adjust processes to deal with this new, highly diversified world. Don't try it alone.

Independent boxmakers need to recognize and utilize the experience of suppliers and specialized consultants on meeting the challenges of converting certain products. Like most things in our lives these days there is rarely a one size fits all approach to converting. This should be evident in the variety of choices just in the rotary die cutting process.

For example, in the early 90's a standard 66" rotary die cutter typically used one standard anvil specification and the cutting rule / score combination was fairly standard. These elements remained pretty much the same, job to job and day to day. Fast forward twenty years to today's box plant and the diversity of machine and paper options have increased the combinations of choices so that there can easily be eight different options for anvil specs and easily the same choices in cutting rule and score combinations. This is driven by different machine technologies and different paper grades being converted. Where there was once a single set of factors for operators to control, there may now be eight or more. And without stringent schedule planning, adjustments may be required on a job to job basis. We've gone from basic and simple to varied, diversified and complicated.

The goal for the converter remains the same, and that is to provide the highest quality product by printing, cutting, scoring, slotting, folding and gluing corrugated sheets into a functional finished product. The important point is that with the vast amount of converting choices it is important to seek answers and support from suppliers. Start at the beginning and look at options right through your entire process. Being thorough pays off because a converting issue at the die cutter or folder-gluer may actually start at the corrugator or a problem with printing may actually be caused in the material handling process. Ask for help and explore your options. It's the best way to deal with an increasingly diversified and complex world.

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by Ron Rauschart

"2009 was certainly a challenging year for the corrugated industry as well as for Dicar. But, while many of the companies struggled to adapt to slowing conditions others stepped up investment, re-positioned and planned for a turn-around and a brighter future. We consider ourselves to land firmly in the later camp," reports Ron Rauschart, Dicar's VP of Sales and Marketing.

Within the last few months of 2009 Dicar added two new salesmen to expand coverage of its US customers. On the international front changes were even more sweeping with new representation in both Brazil and Turkey as well as the expansion of Dicar's European organization into Russia and the Balkan countries. All of this follows the formation earlier in 2009 of Dicar Consulting Services Worldwide, headed by diecutting and productivity expert Rick Putch.

2009 also was characterized by a high and a low point for Dicar. Steve Warll, Dicar's Vice President of International Sales assumed the position of Chairman of AICC's Suppliers. This followed a multi-year progression through the board following his election by other AICC Associates in 2006. Sadly the low for everyone in the Dicar family was the passing in December of Jack Rogers, former VP of Sales and advisor to the company for the past several years. Jack was loved, admired and will be sorely missed.

In addition to the Air Dicar™ automated blanket mounting system, Dicar is planning to continue its technological leadership with updates to both its reliable Tap-It-On® and boltless DuraBlue¨ lines of diecutting blankets. In 2010 the company will also begin field testing of a new design of blanket based on an entirely new type of backing material. Dicar's enhanced product line will be supplemented by an expansion this year of it's Customer Service department with the goal being to establish the highest levels yet of industry support for boxmakers.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Appleton, Wisconsin Ð Phil Wood, Dicar's Chicago based Area Sales Manager, recently participated as an instructor at Fox Valley's Flexo Printing and Rotary Die Cutting Class.

During these classes, students gain knowledge and hands on experience in corrugated printing and die cutting, while producing two and three color work on the college's three color flexo rotary die cutter. Productivity improvement and process streamlining is addressed with interactive analysis and discussion.

Wood provided hands on instruction on rotary die cutting, anvil cover blanket rotation and addressed real-world rotary die cutting related issues. The feedback from students was very positive. These sessions are also available as on-site training sessions for corrugated box plants on an individual or corporate basis.

Phil Wood, a 17 year veteran of Dicar, and a 40 year corrugated industry veteran brings his extensive experience to the Fox Valley program. He has been involved at Fox Valley for over 10 years.

"Educating industry personnel (crews and management) is a priority for Dicar", states President Dan Friefeld. "It's important that they know how to get the most out of their equipment and it our goal to help them do that. We have a lot of experience and expertise at Dicar such as Phil Wood and Rick Putch, who heads up our Die Expert program and many others. These folks are all experts in the diecutting and production and are readily available to use their expertise to help boxmakers solve specific problems, increase productivity and enhance quality."

For additional information, contact Dicar, Inc. at 10 Bloomfield Avenue, Pine Brook, NJ 07058. Call us at 973-575-1377 and at www.dicar.com.

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