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Master Packaging: Mastering the Art of Excellence BY STEVE YOUNG
COMPANY: Master Packaging ESTABLISHED: 1996 JOINED AICC: 2008 PHONE: 506-389-3737 Photos courtesy of Master Packaging.
WEBSITE: www.master-packaging.com LOCATIONS: Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada PRSIDENT & CEO: Mary Jean Irving Celebrating Master Packaging’s 25th anniversary are, from left: David Lint, vice president of sales; Mary Jean Irving, president and CEO; and Mike Auffrey, vice president of manufacturing.
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ary Jean Irving, president and CEO of Master Packaging in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada, was admittedly a bit hesitant when her father suggested she get into the box business back in the 1990s. Her outlook has certainly changed, as the company celebrates its 25th year in business. “It’s a very interesting business,” says Irving. “We have been blessed with an exceptional team of people, outstanding support of customers, and a lot of great suppliers. Like any business, we have had our share of challenges, but we are very pleased with our accomplishments.” The privately held Irving Group of Companies has a long and storied history in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. “My family’s been in business
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BOXSCORE May/June 2021
since the first sawmill was opened in 1882, so almost 140 years now serving customers,” Irving reports. “One of our core businesses is built around forestry, so it was a natural fit to open Master Packaging and contribute to the family value chain—from seed to shelf. We have land where we plant two trees for each one we harvest. The wood feeds our pulp and paper divisions, which include a tissue, newsprint (SC), and pulp mill along with a corrugated medium mill.” Master Packaging’s corrugated division occupies a 400,000-square-foot building in Dieppe (pronounced, dee-EP), while its sister folding carton division is housed in a 300,000-square-foot facility in Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island, a neighboring province.
Founded in 1996, the corrugated division started as a sheet plant in Borden and then, in 1998, expanded into New Brunswick, where they built the corrugated plant and installed a new corrugator. The original sheet plant in Borden continued to operate and was converted into a carton plant in 2004. “We built the corrugated and folding carton plants from the ground up, a complete greenfield installation for both,” Irving says, admitting, “We didn’t have a lot of regional expertise to rely on.” Irving credits Corrugated Synergies (CSI) as their consultants who provided significant help during their startup. Today, in its 25th year, the company boasts world-class facilities and equipment that includes a 110"
