Pack Expo 2013: Plastic Suppliers revamps leadership

"He saw a need to do so," Randy Scott, PSI's VP of sales for the Americas, told PlasticsToday at Pack Expo. "He reached out to various individuals in the industry with different skill sets. He really has rebuilt the sales team from scratch - overall he wanted more vision."

Scott came on board earlier this year and with him brought more than 20 years of experience in packaging and films industries with Constar/Sewell Plastics, Klockner Pentaplast, Berry/Pliant, Exopack, and most recently Chicago-based Tansilwrap.

Thomas also brought on board Francisco Cavalcanti as VP of technology responsible for global R&D, quality and process management. Cavalcanti brings 30 years of experience in the film and flexible packaging industries with PET manufacturer, Terphance, and flexible packaging companies Cello-Poly and The Robinette Co. Last August 2012, Erich Emhuff, formerly of ExxonMobil, AET Films, and Accutech Films joined PSI as VP of operations responsible for all North American manufacturing, purchasing, HR and customer service.

Going forward

At Pack Expo, PSI showcased its Polyflex film and EarthFirst PLA biopolymer used in the shrink sleeve label, flexible packaging, tamper-­evident and thermoforming markets.

Scott said the company's EarthFirst compostable film made with ingeo biopolymer is a key growth area, although oftentimes he does have to communicate what exactly they mean by 'green.'

"There's a lot of frustration and confusion about what 'green' is," he said. "It has to perform and provide the same benefit, but with green products, people don't want it to cost more green in the end."

The company recently announced new slitting capabilities with the installation and commissioning of three new Kampf slitters to augment the company's increasing demand in its converting and distribution business.

PSI CEO George Thomas said the slitters are a key component of its growth strategy, allowing the company to shorten lead teams while converting better rolls of film at a lower cost.

In Belgium, PSI is Dow Chemical's exclusive Northern European distributor of PROCITE window films and Thomas said the new slitters will improve order turnarounds because they require 20% less direct labor than older slitters.

Kampf slitters are capable of running a variety of substrates, winding large outside diameters, and slitting to widths as narrow as two inches. The company says that changeovers are simplified as a result of the machine's automatic knife positioning and laser-­guided core positioning functionality.

Two of the slitters are located in PSI's Columbus, OH, distribution center and the third is in the company's facility in Ghent, Belgium.

Going into next year, Scott sees a lot of good going on for the company.

"In my 20 years of working in the industry, I've never been so busy," he said. "I'm having fun for the first time in a long time."