Jim Streicher established Bison Bag Co. in 1968 with a single bag converting machine that he personally built in the basement of his Buffalo, NY, home. He and his partners, including son Jim Jr., went on to build one of the most successful flexible packaging converting organizations in the Northeastern US.

Today, Bison Bag is headquartered in a 55,000-sq-ft facility in Lockport, NY. The company has the ability to custom manufacture and print a wide variety of flexible packaging products.

Meeting Market Demands

Jim Jr., who took over as chief operating officer in 2006, says two of Bison’s earliest presses were manufactured in Italy, both with process printing capabilities. However, the company saw the greatest enhancements in speed and quality about five years ago when demand for eight-color printing led it to purchase its first Italian-made Uteco press, a used 60-in., eight-color Amber 808 model with high-end graphic, process printing capabilities.

“By 2006, we were starting to get more calls for eight-color work,” explains Streicher. “We started looking at new machines again but ultimately decided that we would try something used.” Coincidentally, an older Uteco Amber Model 808 came onto the market.

While not as well known as its German counterparts, “they print every bit as well” at a reduced cost, Streicher says. “We made a couple of upgrades to it, and we noticed the biggest thing with the Uteco was their fantastic service. I can’t say enough good things about the service and machinery. But we found that Uteco took the American market very seriously in the ’90s and early 2000s.”

Quality Comparison

By 2009, the Uteco Amber had increased business so substantially that Bison was ready to invest in a new central impression (CI) press. Streicher and his team looked at the offerings of 12 major manufacturers from around the world and eventually narrowed their choice to Uteco and a total of four other well-known international and US manufacturers. But when he gathered his pressmen and senior executives in a conference room with samples off each press, it wasn’t a difficult decision.

“I threw the prints out there and asked our guys, ‘Can you pick out a quality that’s better? Do any of these jobs jump out at you?’ And nobody could tell the difference,” recalls Streicher. “So, I didn’t think I could go wrong with the Onyx.”

He ultimately chose an eight-color gearless CI Onyx press with a maximum printing speed of nearly 1,300 fpm and a maximum repeat of 31.5-in., a standard repeat for food and snack packaging. The Onyx 808 is equipped with an Advanced Vision Technology (AVT) Jupiter defect detection system and Uteco’s Sprintwash automatic washup and in-line slitting systems.

“The Onyx does the equivalent of the two older presses and more,” explains Streicher. “We basically more than doubled our capacity.” He notes that eight-color changeovers have been reduced from four to five hours on the older press it replaced to just 60-90 minutes on the Onyx, including color matching. Bison has a full X-Rite color matching system.

The Uteco Onyx affords Bison the flexibility to economically print orders of 250-lb laminated rollstock runs and bag runs as small as 10,000 impressions. This diversity in equipment and technologies has made Bison a supplier to both Fortune 500 and smaller companies, many in the northeast US area.

“The new capacity that was created by the addition of the Uteco Onyx was critical as Bison Bag’s new Seal Tear technology begins to hit the retail packaging market,” says Streicher. “This technology allows many types of packages to add an easy-open, convenient, value-added feature at a non-cost-prohibitive expense, where no opening feature could be provided in the past. It could change the way packages are opened from this point on.”

There’s Something About Service

Like Uteco, Bison Bag Co. knows a little something about service, too. The company maintains “hold and ship” programs for even its largest customers in a 22,000-sq-ft warehouse. Streicher says it’s not atypical for Bison to complete a 250,000-bag run, ship half, and hold the other 125,000.

“We constantly keep an eye on where [their levels] are,” he notes. “One of our biggest customers literally gave us an order on a Thursday to ship the following Thursday — and that was ten to twelve pallets of material! The thing that a lot of customers like about us is that we can tailor a solution for them.

“A lot of the bigger [converters], aren’t willing to do that,” suggests Streicher. “With us, if a customer says their annual usage is one million impressions, we make sure there is always film there.”

Sustainability Efforts

In addition to its presses, the company operates 18 bag machines from the likes of RO-AN, Hudson-Sharp, and AMI Zip-Pak. Additional converting equipment includes Ashe slitter/rewinders and a new Bielloni Julia Super Star laminator.

Streicher is proud to mention that Bison also is a very green company. “We recycle as much as we can to reduce our carbon footprint, including solvents, film, corrugated, and so on. We use variable speed air compressors from Sullair to save power, and we have an Anguil RTO to eliminate our VOCs [volatile organic compounds].

“The combination of our new press coupled with our existing equipment makes Bison one of the most versatile companies in the industry,” says Streicher. “Bison has created a culture of service and quality first, and it is evident as major customers have classified our service as ‘second to none.’ Our customers know we will bail them out of emergencies 99.9% of the time and get rewarded with long-term relationships and referrals.”

Streicher learned his work ethic from his father, James Sr., who established the company 43 years ago and still can’t seem to stay away, even though he seemingly retired ten years ago. And that might not be a bad thing. As Jim Jr. notes, “He’s forgotten things that most of us will never know.”

Supplier Info

• Uteco| www.uteco.com
  uAdvanced Vision Technology (AVT) | www.avt-inc.com
  uX-Rite | www.xrite.com
  uRO-AN | www.hudsonsharp.com
  uHudson-Sharp Machine Co. | www.hudsonsharp.com
  uAMI Zip-Pak | www.ami-zippack.com
• Ashe Converting Equipment | www.ashe.co.uk
• Bielloni Converting | www.bielloni.it
• Sullair | www.sullair.com
• Anguil Environmental Systems | www.anguil.com

Contributing editor Edward Boyle, based in Reading, PA, has covered the converting industry for more than 27 years. Contact him at EJB Communications; 610-670-4680; ejbcomm@aol.com.

All in the Families

Jim Streicher Jr. started with Bison Bag Co. in 1988 while attending college. He became a full-time employee after graduating from the Univ. of Buffalo in 1991.

In 2000, Jim Sr.’s original partner, Dave Kruse, sold his interest to the Zgoda family, and the business has been run by the partners’ sons, Jim Jr. and Scott, ever since.

Jim Jr. took over as chief operating officer of the company in 2006. Scott Zgoda serves as its president.

Their company supplies high-volume markets that comprise food, including bakery, seafood, snacks, and frozen foods; industrial, including plastic bags for auto parts, chemical powders, farming products, hardware, and swimming pool products; health care; sporting goods; and more — everything from plain bags to laminated zipper stand-up pouches and rollstock.

Serving such a wide range of both customers and markets, Bison has continued to enjoy double-digit growth in spite of the sour economy. Its owners both credit the strength of the company’s 70 employees, including more than 20 in the pressroom alone, plus the breath and quality of equipment for Bison’s continued success.

Converter Info

• Bison Bag Co. | 5404 Crown Dr., Lockport, NY 14094 | 716-434-4380 | www.bisonbag.com

From conceptualization to completion, very little escapes notice at FLEXSTAR Packaging Inc., Richmond, BC, Canada. Here, attention to detail is the order of the day. With $22 million in annual sales and what seems to be an ever-evolving pressroom floor; process, product and progress stand in unison. Capital equipment expenditures are linked to continuous improvement. Delivery of significant value, through service and quality, speak to the staff’s commitment to customers; as well as its promise of world-class converting. This plant is driven by technology. It’s been that way since the start of 2005 when FLEXSTAR, which was formerly Sonoco Products Co., transitioned to private ownership. Today’s 61,000 sq. ft. facility actually dates back to the 1970s and operated under these names: Seaforth Plastics, Crown Zellerbach, Flexpak, Crown Forest, Fletcher Challenge, Gravure International (a flexo operation), Graphic Packaging Corp. and Sonoco. FLEXSTAR is owned by a team of investors (many from Parian Capital) and led by firm president, Marc Bray, who for two years, served as Sonoco’s on-site general manager. Bray recalled. “Once we acquired the assets of the business, we kept it running. That’s a testament to the staff, plus the service and quality offerings that we were providing our customers, 98 percent of whom stayed with us through the entire transition period. Our vision is to be the service and quality leader for flexible packaging on the west coast, where there is a true need for a full service converter.

“FLEXSTAR employs some 83 people, with a print production staff of 22 that work a three-shift, 24-hour, five-day week. Many possess 30+ years technical expertise. Serving with Bray on the management team are:
• Dale Ince, vice president, manufacturing
• Bob McQueen, director of marketing
• Kevin Bramhoff, director of sales
• Ron Dolny, operations manager

Food, Glorious Food

Ninety-eight percent of the packaging plant’s output is related to the food industry, according to McQueen. “Major markets are cereal, bakery, processed snacks, confectionary and coffee.” “We focus on converting technology,” Bray continued.“Correct specifications breed cross-over markets. That’s our philosophy. …

“Extruded bags were the primary business here for decades,” Bray observed. “When we started investing in technology to pursue cutting-edge products, like barrier laminations, etc., we went through a study on whether to invest in new film making technology, or buy outside. Our service position is based on our ability to manufacture application specific sealant films in house. Control of film manufacturing makes a huge difference in overall quality. It’s what allows us to turn products around quickly. In fact, a new film extrusion line, featuring technology that is easier to start-up and shut down, eliminated the necessity for seven-day shifts with no impact on output.”

Mission & Vision

For the record, McQueen posted the following statement to the corporate homepage. ”FLEXSTAR manufactures custom printed, laminated, flexible roll-stock and specialty films for the consumer and industrial markets in North America. We have a clear vision, a heavy focus on people, and are nimble so we can quickly respond to changing customer needs. Much of our success has been based on our team’s collective experience in the industry.”

To that, he added, “The foundation of FLEXSTAR manufacturing is based on process and material technology. We strive to stay at the forefront of converting through strategic investment in equipment and capabilities that are consistent with the needs of our customers. We offer award-winning flexographic printing with in-line lamination in both medium and wide web formats.” “Innovation goes beyond a specific product or process,” McQueen maintained. “Innovation in services and how we do business with our customers is a key part of our philosophy. Our focus is enhancing our customers’ ability to sell their products. That is what in turn will sell our products. Bray proclaimed, “Process control is the first step in quality assurance. We focus on doing it right the first time! We try to ascribe our GMPs – good manufacturing practices–after FIRST Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications and Tolerances. As Ron Dolny insists, “While, it’s great to have all the latest tools, if we don’t take care of the tools, they don’t do the job consistently. We simply can’t stray from targets and achieve the same results because we are not taking care of our new equipment, measurement devices, data input/interpretation systems and press peripherals.” McQueen reiterated, “At FLEXSTAR, customer service is not just a function, it is our passion! All of our team members are dedicated to meeting customer needs. Our people and their collective extensive experience in packaging, can provide: customer field service support, collaborative quality programs, structural analysis, and art / design assistance…. We understand flexographic reproduction and the best practices required to ensure repeatability.”

The Repertoire

State-of-the-art printing presses and peripherals in position at FLEXSTAR are plentiful, according to McQueen. They include: gearless technology, automatic viscosity controls, web inspection, defect detection, video plate mounting, sleeve technology, automatic ink dispensing, and color control systems. “We produce laminations and coated webs using solvent, solventless, and water-based platforms,” he said. “This includes FDA and CFIA compliant laminates for hot fill, boilable, and retort applications. We have a temperature controlled hot room that can hold more than 100 pallets of product at any one time. Barrier lamination webs include metalized substrates and foil. FLEXSTAR also produces in-register pattern cold seal for medical and confectionary applications.”

McQueen continued, “High speed slitting is a key component of our service and throughput strategy. Our capabilities range from cantilevered, low tension machines to dedicated medium web machines; to surface winders for larger OD rolls, foil laminates, or wide web rolls. Slitting is usually the final step before shipment and with good process controls we ensure all the previous work is not wasted.”

Elaborating on the plant’s capabilities, McQueen noted, “The latest addition to our portfolio is stand-up pouch manufacturing. We offer bottom gusset, three side seal, shaped seals, various punch holes, rounded corners, and in-line zippers. We are one of the few North American manufacturers who can offer our customers finished pouches from concept to commercialization under one roof. What results from this capability are quick turnarounds and the ability to get products into the marketplace faster.”

Tools of the Trade

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), real-time inventory reporting and enhanced scheduling in conjunction with customers, are some of the new concepts customers are looking at to enhance the overall supply chain and drive efficiencies, according to Bray. “FLEXSTAR controls our data collection and reporting capabilities with a state-of-the-art, ORACLE™ based ERP system, from Globe-Tek Corporation,” Bray reported. “We realize that a capable, user-friendly operating system is extremely important in successfully managing a custom business comprised of a large number of variables. This assists us in forecasting and managing for raw materials, which in turn helps our customers get products to market faster.

“Bray explained, “We actually switched to a new ERP system in 2005. It was the first investment we made. Results to date have been very positive. We have five years of data in the system. Today, it allows us to look at post cost, hone efficiencies, manage inventory, do quotations, participate in electronic data interchange on the order side…”

“Nearly everything in the plant is new” Bray declared. “First, we moved further into lamination in 2006. It began with installation of a Nordmeccainca Supercombi 2000. Two years later, in 2008, in went a Nordmeccainca Super Simplex. “In 2007, came an eight-color wide web Uteco Onyx press. It was followed in 2010 by a 10-color Onyx. We replaced four presses with two. Our new Onyx presses, featuring matching footprints, have the capacity to produce what many other converting operations put out with four.” Both presses have BST ProMark video inspection / print fault detection systems, Inkspec viscosity controls, and X-rite color formulation systems that take graphic ink and press side measurements. To bolster consistency, we’ve added two Microclean units for aniloxes and plate cleaning. Both serve to remove variables associated with reproduction.”

“In 2008, we added a stand-up pouch machine from PPI Technologies. Slitting upgrades saw acquisition of some Deacros with the latest technologies in digital drives and shafts with roll locks. Bray said this year, 2011, brought with it a new W&H Optimex three-layer extruder. “It’s been up and running for several weeks now. This is a very exciting time. Nothing is being overlooked.”

Thinking back on the equipment recapitalization experience, Bray stated, “What we just went through, with the press and extruder, is Phase 2 of our overall capitalization plan. Phase 3 will bring additional lamination, wide-web slitting and stand-up pouch capacity. Target time frame is 2011-2012.” Citing other moves, Bray pointed out that, “We did move into Digital Facility Management partnering with OEC Graphics. We have been running with this since June of 2009. This arrangement allows us to make our printing plates onsite with separation work done at OEC and at FLEXSTAR. The prepress activity is managed via a customized Workflow Management tool provided by OEC Graphics. This system allows for order tracking and managing the customer approval
process.”

“OEC has also brought along technology, such as High Definition Flexo to our operation, thereby increasing our offerings to our customers. With the introduction of HD flexo, we will be able to print sharper, cleaner, crisper images with smoother vignettes and improved contrast. We are right there with rotogravure printing. We have been able to transition a number of jobs from offshore roto to traditional and HD flexo. These tools, along with an optimized flexo printing process, give our clients packaging solutions focused on their unique requirements.”

Poised & Prepared

“By carefully controlling our manufacturing process, we remain nimble in our ability to jump in and out of orders,” Bray noted. “Our whole group shares one attitude, and embraces these words: ‘If we need to do it, we will!’”

According to Bray, “Customers today have a tendency to order products to avoid obsolescence. Thanks to shorter lead times, they are better able to predict their requirements. It’s changed everything and created the playing field under which we operate.

“…We are going to continue to get more efficient and be able to put out increasing volume with the same workforce. Challenges exist to be overcome!”

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Diamond HP arrives in Kennesaw

Setup inside the warehouse nears completion.