What a deal! A guy grows up in Pittsburgh, graduates from college in 1984 when there aren't many job opportunities in that area, and reads a help wanted ad: "Looking for a technician trainee to go into a 2-year training program. Relocation is required." This isn't so out of the ordinary, except the job was in Italy! What a deal for a single, newly graduated guy whose travel experience was limited at the time. Talk about jumping in with both feet!
On a recent trip through Wisconsin, Eric Fletty and I had the opportunity to visit with that very guy -- Jeff Pallini, President of Fosber America, as we toured the Fosber plant in Green Bay. Jeff currently serves as TAPPI's Corrugated Packaging Council Chair, as well as Chair for TAPPI's Chicago Local Section.
In 1984, Jeff answered that ad and took the job with Perini. At that time, Perini was manufacturing tissue converting equipment. In the middle of his Technical Sales tenure with Perini, Jeff was summoned into the owner's office. He was told that Perini would like to have him work on a market study for two months in the U.S. The strange part of this request was that the market study was not in the tissue industry and was to be conducted on Dry End manufacturers in the corrugated industry. Jeff's mission was to find out if there was room for another manufacturer in the U.S. It turns out that the market study revealed that there was indeed room for another Dry End manufacturer.
Jeff finished his market study and went into the owner's office to make the presentation. Jeff shared with me that he honestly thought this was the end of his role in the study and that he would go back to his previous job. At the close of the presentation, Jeff was told by the owner that he was in agreement with the market study, and wanted to know if Jeff would like to start up the new company in Green Bay, Wis. Well, as you might imagine, he was elated and said yes! But why Green Bay? Perini was already in the area to service the massive tissue industry there.
In 1992, Fosber America was founded. It focused on the corrugator dry end and grew its market share to 70%. By 2002, with industry changes taking place, it was time for Fosber to branch out into the corrugator wet end, so that it now offers complete corrugators.
Fosber was founded in Italy in 1978 by two gentlemen, Mr. Fossaluzza and Mr. Bertani. The initial concentration was on material handling and down stackers. In 1988, Fabio Perini S.P.A. acquired 100% of Fosber S.R.L. In 1989, Fosber was established in the U.S., selling corrugator components from Italy.
Two projects were sold in the summer of 1989, and it was off to the races! In 1992, Perini sold Fosber to the present owners.
When Jeff started, there were approximately 700 corrugators in the U.S. Consolidation in the industry has reduced that number to less than 550. There were 16 major integrateds, and there are now just five. Fosber's business is spilt 80/20 between integrated versus independents.
Jeff adds that there have been other major changes, such as demands on equipment performance and volume, more foreign competition, shortened lead times, consortiums between sheet plants owning a corrugator, and the need for 24-hour full service capability.
How is business? Booming. So far in 2010, the U.S. currently has backlogs for seven new corrugators, with pent up demand causing a surge in new orders. Of those seven corrugators, Fosber has four -- two of which were postponed from 2008 and two others that are new business.
Fosber is an American company with Italian roots. All of the decisions, drawings, components, and deployment are from the U.S. It has approximately 300 visitors each year tour its Green Bay plant.
Service is the key to Fosber's success. Its customers know Jeff personally. "The personal relationships get us in the game, and taking care of our customers after the sale keeps us there," he says.
One of Fosber's great assets that keeps them in the game comes in the form of training. Jon Porter, Senior Trainer/Process Specialist, took us on a tour and demonstration of the company's training facility. This service is offered to Fosber's customers so they have firsthand, real-time experience with running their equipment.
Jeff is a big Green Bay Packers football fan. As you might imagine, Brett Favre was, and still is, one of his favorite players. Knowing this, I emailed him the day the Vikings were coming to Green Bay with Favre as their new QB. I asked him who he would be pulling for, and in classic Pallini style, he replied, "I love the guy but you always have to go with the team." Go Packers!
Jeff and Fosber exude that team spirit in person as well as on the company website, where it emphasizes family: "At Fosber you are not just buying a machine, you're joining our family!"
For more information on Fosber, please go to www.fosber.com.
For more informaion on TAPPI, please go to www.tappi.com.
There are two types of people in our industry, TAPPI members and those who should be.
Until next time-Larry
TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/