Company founders Norbert Schreiber and Mark Reinhardt were inspired in 1991 to form the contract sheeting venture Progressive Converting, Inc. (Pro-Con), Appleton WI. Having worked in the printing industry for many years, both men saw a definite need for a converter-to-the-trade that could offer fast turnarounds of high quality sheeted paper and board.
By 1993, Pro-Con had outgrown its original Neenah WI facility. It moved into its current, 115,000-sq-ft Appleton site, giving its employees a large, modern workplace with an additional amount of shop floor space, a daycare facility, and a break room. On a steady grow track ever since, Pro-Con built a second plant in Hazelton, PA in January 1996 and plans are now underway to add another 5,000 sq ft onto the Appleton site to accommodate additional sheeting business.
How has Pro-Con become such a success? “It’s the hundreds of little things,” says Schreiber. “We have a system of constantly changing quality control methods to keep up with customer needs, and quality is always a given.” It provides quality assurance to customers by documenting every process from sheeting to distribution, including tolerance levels, spoilage and sheet cleanliness.
Pro-Con’s customers are primarily mills, merchants, and large printing companies in the U. S. and Canada. It provides specialty work such as precision folio sheeting and registration sheeting. Although the majority of their converting activity is centered on high end fine printing grades, Pro-Con converts bond, offset, enamel, poly coated, index, metallized paper, Tyvek, and board.
While the company’s main focus is sheeting, Pro-Con also offers contract services, such as slitting, rewinding, folio cartoning, and inventory/distribution and custom shipping labels.
Sheeter helps converter maintain breakneck pace
Recently, Pro-Con once again found itself in need of another sheeter. Its existing sheeters were running almost nonstop to keep pace with steady demand and new orders.
Pro-Con turned to Maxson for a machine that could be set up quickly, run continuously for extended periods of time and produce high cut quality. On time orders meant little if the cut quality was poor or if the sheeted stock isn’t piled in perfect “ice-block” condition, says Schreiber.
Maxson’s MSP Sheeter handles rolls up to 56 inches (1422 mm) and operates at speeds of up to 1,000 fpm (308 mpm). It sheets a wide variety of materials and can be equipped with a cut to register system capable of sheeting preprinted stock from watermark papers to holographic material. This unit’s compact design allows ease of use, easy set-up, and quick skid changes without compromising precision levels or quality levels.
“It provides an extremely clean cut and dust-free sheets,” says Schreiber. Pile quality is also continually superior , says Schreiber, due to the MSP’s Series 200 Stacker, which gives the pile their neat appearance.
The machine’s flexibility allows Pro-Con to run coated papers in weights of 60 lb, 70 lb, and 80 lb, as well as lightweight, coated label stock. On lighter weight papers the company runs the machine at 350-450 fpm (107-137 mpm); uncoated grades are processed at 700 fpm (213 mpm). “The machine is very efficient and provides a quick turnaround,” says Schreiber.
Pro-Con also purchased two Maxson Citation roll stands to enhance production. The roll stands, including one shafted roll stand, typically handle three webs of 60 lb paper at a time, increasing the company’s end product capacity off the machine threefold. “The MSP has been running hard 5 days a week, 24 hours a day since it was installed.” says Schreiber.
The Maxson MSP is capable of satisfying even the most demanding perfecting jobs, because it features electronic cutoff control with a dual motor drive system. The system provides a sheet length accuracy of ±0.015 inches (±0.381 mm), regardless of cutoff length or line speed. This allows Pro-Con to provide press-ready sheets off the sheeter directly to the customer.
“There is a difference with this drive,” says Schreiber. Our quality control methods have found it is very accurate, especially on cutoff length.” This user friendly drive allows size changes in just seconds via keypad entry. Using AC motors to match cutter speed with web speed, this system replaces the wear-prone components used in mechanical drives and eliminates waste traditionally associated with size changes.
Reprinted from Converting, November 1997
