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one industry, like automotive. There are times when some industries are down, but others are doing better, so we drop here and pick up there. That’s the safety you get in this area.” Defining Forest Packaging’s customer base, Dean DeGroot, sales manager, says, “It’s a lot of brown boxes, RSCs, die cuts. And that’s been spread among many industries—food, automotive, plastics, metal stampers, and printers. We’re not concentrated in any one industry.” DeGroot says the company’s current mix is a 60-40 split of industrial packaging and graphics and display work. The immediate payout from its recent, strategic investments is a greater opportunity for the company in new or underserved markets. Referring to the BW Papersystems three-color RDC, DeGroot says, “It’s made a huge difference in speed and graphics. I’m amazed at what we can do graphically now. We’ve picked up so much business just because of that. We used to have to turn away business—‘we can’t hold that print; we can’t do that.’ Now we can do just about anything.” Jeff Kula also weighs in on the new market opportunities the company now enjoys, especially in light of the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We really have had a lot of good opportunities presented to us,” he says. “We feel we’re in a good position as far as what we can do. And seeing how much more a blend of business that switched to e-commerce and direct-to-consumer, and now we’re seeing the retail side pickup, too.” All the Kulas and DeGroot agree that their design department deserves the credit for stepping up to the challenge. “A lot of it comes from the design department, and how we’ve upgraded that,” DeGroot says. “The [Kongsberg] table, everything is now speed and how fast you can get that, and without the proper designers, the proper equipment, we were at a disadvantage.” Forest’s designers, Bob Pucillo and Roger Lawlor, complement each other in
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their abilities, says John. “Roger’s more on the industrial side, and he’s very creative coming up with unique ways to protect the customer’s product,” he says. “Bob’s more on the displays, the higher-end stuff. The nice thing in watching the two of them work together—Roger’s picking up more on the higher end, and Bob’s also picking up on the industrial, brown side and coming up with solutions. It’s a fun process.” Going Forward The Forest Packaging leadership team will not rest on their oars as far as future planning is concerned. A new building is in their sights to allow for expansion and to increase their efficiencies even more. Any visitor to the company will be impressed with how much throughput they’re getting in a small, 50,000-square-foot space. John Kula has plans for adding a surge line after the Geo. M. Martin bundle breaker is installed on the die cutter to allow more output. “It’s tight, and we’re trying to maneuver,” he says. “We’re doing all this in pretty tight quarters. A new building is on the list. We could probably double our current footage tomorrow—that’s what we would need, at least 100,000 square feet.” Challenge and Opportunity The Forest Packaging leadership group sees challenges ahead but also opportunities. One of the most immediate problems facing the industry is the shortage of workers. “Labor shortages are a real problem,” says John. To counter this trend, Forest Packaging is creating incentives for current employees. “We’re offering bonuses to employees if they find someone who will be a successful employee for us,” says Greg. “We would rather incentivize the people here than pay a signing bonus to someone we do not know,” John adds. On the flip side, Forest Packaging has automated its processes so that fewer new people will be needed in the years ahead. “You’re going to see a lot of companies
go that route,” says John, “because the technologies and the things we’ve done have allowed us to operate with less.” The greatest reason for optimism and opportunity in the future, says Greg, is the very nature of the corrugated industry itself: It’s essential, it’s sustainable, and it’s domestic. “We’re a vital industry,” he says. “If the corrugated box didn’t exist, how would everything get to market?” “We as an industry have always been sustainable. Cutting trees, replanting trees, and recycling everything,” John adds. “We were doing that even before it was a cool thing to do.” “Another good thing about our industry,” says Greg, “is we’re so domestic; most of our product is made here.” “Whatever we can do, we make under our own roof,” adds John. Positioned for Success Every company has an elevator speech. When asked about Forest Packaging’s, John says, “We want to be your partner. If we can’t earn the business, then we don’t deserve the business.” In an all-American, independent kind of way, Forest Packaging proves this daily. In response to its customers and the corrugated packaging market’s changing needs, Forest has pursued steady, purposeful investment in new capacity and improved throughput while staying true to its roots. A second generation of leadership—forward-looking and always customer-focused—is well-positioned for the next chapter of growth, ensuring what Greg Kula had in mind when he bought the company in 1991: A quality product, fast service, and longstanding relationships will build a successful business. Steve Young is AICC’s ambassador-at-large. He can be reached at 202-297-0583 or syoung@aiccbox.org.
