Larry Visits the WestRock Paperboard Facility in Aurora, Ill., USA

 

My dad used to tell me that if you really want to find something special, sometimes you have to look under every "Rock".

On June 22, I had the pleasure to visit the location of a 75-Year TAPPI Sustaining Member Company. That company is WestRock (Richmond, Va., USA) and the specific location I saw was the company's Aurora, Ill., paperboard facility.

Jeff Barnhart (left): manager, sales and business development, and Matthew Rice (right): process engineer.

Jeff Barnhart hosted me for the visit while Matt Rice doubled as my tour guide. It was a classic example of "6 degrees of separation." I had met Matt a few years back through TAPPI when he was with a supplier to our industry, But I actually first introduced Jeff to our industry back in the early 1990s with Republic Paperboard.

 

And if that is not enough, Ed Curtis, the site's VP and GM is a fellow Tennessean. After talking with Ed, we discovered a kinship in the love of the mountains of Tennessee.

In operation since 1909, the Aurora mill sets the standard in Binder boards for the hard backbook industry with its 100% Recycled Red Label product. In addition, the Aurora facility features a converting operation where large book board sheets are cut to size for bookmakers. The Aurora facility also manufactures protective corner posts and slip sheets.

 

The hard back book business is alive and well, particularly in the Chicago Land area, and these folks have what it takes to make some of the flattest recycled board that I have ever seen. One of the most interesting things that sets them apart is that they do not paste board together to make thicker sheets. Single ply sheets come off of the paper machine in calipers up to .250, a level so small that other recycled mills in North America can not match without pasting board together. 

 

Ed Curtis - VP and GM, Aurora Paperboard (right)

 

Ed has put together a great team here. All employees seemed genuinely happy, enthusiastic, and customer focused. I was very excited about touring this facility to learn about an area of our industry that really is a niche market. Here are a few of the key points I learned on this visit that are worth sharing:

• The Aurora Mill has been in operation since 1909 and produces 32,000 tpy of 100% recycled Red Label Book Board
• The mill has a fourdrinier machine, which utilizes a wet lap papermaking process
• Book Board Caliper ranges of 70-250 point
• Red Label book board meets or exceeds all specifications established by the National Association of State Textbook Administrators, and the Library Binding Institute.

 

For more information on WestRock Aurora, feel free to contact Jeff Barnhart by email. For more information on TAPPI, visit our webpage.

 

Remember there are two types of people in our industry--TAPPI members and those who should be. 

 

Until next time...Larry.