According to the domestic demand forecast 2024 of white paperboard and corrugated board, it seems to lose its momentum. When visiting the converter’s factory, they say the number of orders is decreasing. The same can be said for our business. Japan as an export Titan has been in the past and Emerging countries are on…
Just like the company in the Netherlands I introduced before, there are many companies that show a high level of performance in the manufacturing of corrugated boxes. A rotary die-cutter with a 66-inch diameter (see the photo) is meant to mainly die-cut big boxes. However, the factory manufacturing E-flute and multicolored corrugated boxes that I…
One of the urgent tasks among folding carton and cutting die manufacturers is a correction of long working hours. One possible solution for this issue may be the introduction of materials for die making and die cutting such as an ejection material for automatic flatbed die-cutters for corrugated materials. Regarding the production of regular slotted…
I attended a seminar held by HP to hear a lecture of Swedish futurologist, Mr. Magnus Lindkvist, known as the “Trendspotter”. His powerful speech brought home to me that our corrugated industry also needs “creativity” when the technical innovation led by digital printing is just starting. At the seminar, Mr. Lindkvist firmly asserted that companies…
South Korea is outperforming Japan in exporting agricultural products. During my trip to Seoul, I had a chance to visit a printing company with a digital printing and manufacturing plant. I will share what I learned there and why the company is successful in its digital printing businesses. I visited a company which owned 10…
Globalization of the agricultural sector of the economy is being promoted and importing fruits and vegetables is significantly increasing. Ironically, Japanese agricultural products are not seen much in other countries. However, Korean agricultural products are getting attention in the global market. I flew to Korea to see what was really going on there. South Korea…
This year the rainy season in Tokyo and surrounding areas was extremely short and it seemed as if it went straight from spring to summer. Global warming has caused summer to last longer than before and it has become more and more serious. I wonder how the corrugated industry can contribute to tackling the problem…
According to a survey, Ibaraki prefecture is ranked as the least attractive prefecture in Japan. There are many stories that explain why. For example, the Shinkansen, a Japanese bullet train, runs through the city but doesn’t make any stops there. For me, however, Ibaraki is indeed attractive because there are a lot of corrugated companies.…
Every day in industries, due to technical innovations on the Internet, there are revolutionary changes that completely knock the bottom out of an old concept. I learned that a textile company developed a new product for digital printing and decided quickly to fly to the Netherlands. The printing industry is a typical example of an…
Nowadays small and medium sized companies in Japan and Europe are affiliated with big group companies in the matured folding carton and corrugated industry. This movement has been active for more than 20 years in central Europe. Now, I would like to share the current status of medium and small sized companies there. After the…