DECEMBER 2017
Contact Us!
1701 K Street, NW
Suite 650
Washington, DC 20006

Andrea Ball, 
Executive Director andrea@cantube.org

General Inquires:
info@cantube.org
In This Issue!
  • CCTI NEWS
  • MEMBER NEWS
  • INDUSTRY NEWS
  • INTERNATIONAL 
  • ENVIRONMENTAL
  • ECONOMICS
  • EDUCATION

  • SAFETY & HR 
  • CLASSIFIED ADS
MEMBERSHIP  INFO
Your annual membership provides you with an array of opportunities that you should take advantage of:
  • Discounts on regional lunch programs
  • Access to the CCTI resource library, the IdeaBank
  • Discounts on job postings in our Career Corner
  • Access to the Online Member Directory
  • Participation in our members-only LinkedIn Group

Or call:  703.823.7234

CORE CONNECTIONS
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The CCTI office will be closed from Dec. 25 - January 1st 
for the holidays.  Please visit us online at www.cantube.org.
CCTI News
We Want Your Opinion!
Participate in the 2018 Member Survey
business-presentation.jpg

Dear Member, 

Help us fine tune our programming and benefits for the coming year.  

The CCTI Survey has been sent via email to all member representatives for each company.  If you didn't receive an email inviting you to participate,  please click here to participate in the CCTI Survey.

Your participation in this short electronic questionnaire, which will take less than 10 minutes of your busy day but will provide us valuable information and feedback.

If you are unable to give your opinions online, we will be follow up via phone in the next few weeks with those members who have not clicked through and will interview you to get your input.

Again, thank you for helping make the best possible association for your industry!  If I can be of personal or professional assistance, my direct contact information is below or feel free to reach out to our staff at info@cantube.org or 703-823-7234

Best,
Andrea Ball
CCTI Executive Director
301-335-2715 - mobile

SAVE THE DATE
The Composite Can & Tube Institute's
2018 ANNUAL MEETING
April 16-18, 2018
Philadelphia, PA


Held in tandem with Pack Expo East, the CCTI Annual meeting will offer attendees networking opportunities, educational sessions, a plant tour, a retirement celebration for Emil Kiss and more! 

Mark your calendars and watch for 
registration materials coming soon!


MEMBER NEWS
WestRock Shars Highlights its 2017 Investor Day

WestRock Company  presented information during their annual  Investor Day that highlighted that  WestRock has the scale,  
differentiated strategy and the capabilities to generate attractive long-term returns for investors. 
 
WestRock took the opportunity to expand its margins and deployed its capital to grow adjusted EBITDA from $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2017 and projects more than $4 billion in fiscal year 2022.  WestRock reiterated its fiscal 2018 guidance for revenue of at least $16.3 billion, adjusted segment EBITDA of more than $2.8 billion and adjusted operating cash flow of at least $2.3 billion.

Steve Voorhees, chief executive officer of WestRock, commented, "We are proud of the progress we have made over the past two and a half years in building WestRock into a leading paper and packaging company. We are committed to continuing this momentum and delivering best-in-class, differentiated solutions that help our customers win in the marketplace. WestRock has the strategy, capabilities and team in place to generate attractive returns over the long term and create outstanding value for our customers, stockholders and employees."
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NAFTA Negotiations Held in DC in December

NAFTA negotiators hold December technical discussions in Washington, D.C., after fifth round of talks in Mexico in November.  The United States, Canada and Mexico met for the fifth round of NAFTA negotiations in Mexico City from November 15 through 21. Discussions were held in all negotiating groups, with efforts focusing on resolving technical and smaller differences in views. Regarding the controversial proposals made by the United States during the fourth round (on the so-called sunset provision, weakening and elimination of investor-state and state-to-state dispute settlement and strict rules of origin for automobiles and auto parts), no movement was reported as Canada and Mexico explained their concerns over these proposals. 

The three parties are meeting in Washington, D.C., from December 11 to 15 to continue to work through technical and less controversial issues. The next major round of talks will be held in Canada from January 23 to 28. 

NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons recently highlighted manufacturers' opposition to NAFTA withdrawal and outcomes that would weaken NAFTA or undermine manufacturing competitiveness. 

CCTI works as a member of the  Council of Manufacturing Associations with the  National Association of Manufacturers to support our members concerns regarding NAFTA.
ECONOMIC NEWS
Monday Economic Report

The Bureau of Labor Statistics  reported that manufacturers added 31,000 workers in November, extending the gain of 23,000 in October. More importantly, the sector has added an average of 15,545 employees on net per month so far in 2017-quite a turnaround from the loss of 16,000 workers in 2016 as a whole. This is a sign that firms have stepped up their hiring as a result of a stronger economic outlook and increased demand and production activity. Indeed, since the end of the Great Recession, manufacturing employment has risen by 1,061,000 workers, with 12.51 million employees in the sector in this report.

Moreover, manufacturers continue to say that the inability to attract and retain a quality workforce is one of their top concerns, which is further proof that the labor market has tightened considerably. Along those lines, there has been some upward pressure on wages, even with a slight easing in the November figures. Average weekly earnings for manufacturing workers edged down from $1,094.08 in October to $1,092.44 in November. Nonetheless, average weekly earnings in the sector have risen 2.6 percent over the past 12 months, up from $1,064.53 in November 2016.

November industrial production data will be released on Friday. In October, manufacturing production expanded robustly, up 1.3 percent, rebounding from slowdowns related to recent hurricanes in the prior report. More importantly, output in the sector had risen 2.5 percent over the past 12 months, the best year-over-year rate since August 2014. It is hoped new data will show continued signs of strength for manufacturers, including in sentiment surveys from IHS Markit and the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Other reports out this week include updates on consumer and producer prices, job openings, retail sales and small business optimism.

EDUCATION NEWS
Facing Hiring Challenges, Manufacturers Invest in High School Vocational Training
Courtesy of Haley Walters, The Greenville News

There's a big demand for highly skilled workers as manufacturing booms in South Carolina, and high school seniors will soon be able to get a taste of what careers the field holds.

Through the Advanced Manufacturing Academy - a program coming next fall to the Greenville Technical College's Center for Manufacturing Innovation - high school seniors will spend their afternoons exploring different careers and earning college credit in a series of hands-on courses. 

To help support the program, drive and control manufacturing company Bosch Rexroth Corporation donated $32,000 to the Greenville Tech Foundation. The company has a longtime partnership with the tech school, and Mike McCormick, Vice President and Technical Plant Manager at Bosch Rexroth in Fountain Inn, South Carolina, says he hopes the new program will open students' eyes to the possibilities of manufacturing careers.

"At this age, it's critical for young students to be exposed to lots of different experiences, different events and different programs. For the first time in their lives they're trying to plot the future course," McCormick said.

Bosch and its Bosch Rexroth division have four major locations in South Carolina, employing more than 4,000 people in the state. The company regularly hires graduates of Greenville Technical College, but also recruits hires from outside of the area to keep up with demand. 

McCormick said it can be a challenge to find skilled workers to fill in-demand jobs, particularly CNC machine operators, maintenance technicians and mechatronic technicians.

"It seems that every week there's another new business announcement in this region and almost all of them are in the high-tech manufacturing segment," McCormick said.

What makes the Advanced Manufacturing Academy unique is that it will accept older students who may not have taken steps toward manufacturing careers earlier in high school. David Clayton, the Center for Manufacturing Innovation's executive director says kids get involved in the career path as early as 10th grade, which can sometimes deter older students from joining because they don't have friends in the program.

"The challenge is that for us, many of the students haven't been exposed to manufacturing careers. They've never been to a plant or seen the tools," Clayton said.

To learn more about this innovative program, visit  http://gvltec.edu/indexcmi.html
INDUSTRY NEWS
Thermal Energy to implement C$11 million energy efficiency improvement and greenhouse gas reduction project at existing pulp and paper customer

Thermal Energy International Inc. ("Thermal Energy" or the "Company"), a global provider of industrial and institutional energy efficiency solutions, has been engaged by an existing pulp and paper customer to design, develop and implement a major energy efficiency improvement and greenhouse gas reduction project. The project includes the installation of two of Thermal Energy's proprietary FLU-ACE® Heat Recovery Systems and the conversion of the mill's steam traps to Thermal Energy's proprietary GEM™ Steam Trap system.

Once completed, the $11 million project is expected to provide the customer with annual natural gas savings of more than 35%, while reducing its annual greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20%.

"Pulp and paper is one of the most energy intensive sectors and our energy efficiency solutions represent a win-win scenario," said William Crossland, CEO of Thermal Energy. "We have been working in partnership with this customer over the past year to develop a turn-key project that meets both their energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction goals. This resulted in our largest single order to date and a project that can serve as a blueprint for other large energy users around the world looking for an optimal solution for fighting climate change, by providing significant reductions in carbon emissions and energy use while, at the same time, delivering a notable return for investors.

The estimated annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the project, once complete, is equivalent[1] to:
  • Removing 9,208 passenger vehicles from the road
  • Preventing the burning of more than 21 million kilograms of coal
  • The benefit from installing 11 large scale wind turbines with an estimated cost of about $47 million[2]
This project represents Thermal Energy's largest heat recovery and largest GEM orders to date and is expected to be substantially completed and revenue earned over the next 18 months.
ENVIRONMENTAL


EPA Maintains Federal Human Health Water Quality Standards in Maine

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to retain federal Human Health Water Quality standards for the state of Maine. The Department of Justice stated EPA's position in its filing with the U.S. District Court in Maine on Friday, Dec. 8.

"We are disappointed in the EPA's move to retain the fundamentally flawed approach to federal Human Health Water Quality Standards final rule in a state known for consistently applying stringent, conservative standards to protect all of its waters. EPA's action overrides the state's protective water quality standards, ignores sound science, is legally unsound, and could result in extremely high costs with negligible benefit. We will continue to advocate for fact and data-driven public policy that respects the role of the states in our regulatory system and does more good than harm."

CANTUBE CLASSIFIEDS

CANTUBE CLASSIFIEDS

Industrial Paper Tube, Inc.,  
Industrial Paper Tube, Inc., located in Bronx, NY, is a paper tube and spool company for sale.   Spiral and convolute machinery for manufacturing  3/8 inch in diameter to 60 inch in diameter."

Please contact Howard Kramer at 718-893-5000 for prices and more information.


Industrial Paper Tube, Inc.
1335 East Bay Avenue
Bronx, NY 10474
Phone: 1-800-345-0960
Fax: 718-378-0055
Email:  iptmailingtubes@aol.com
Link
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