Albert Paper Products was founded 75 years ago in northern New Jersey. Based on their longevity and success, they know how to meet the demands and expectations of the paper and packaging industry. Consistency is a hallmark of their work, so when company president Rich Kenah had to replace an aging, 61-inch Polar paper cutter last month, he did so with a same-size reconditioned Polar with a Microcut® Plus electronics package from nearby Colter & Peterson.
“I had two Polars. We’ve had one for 25 years, and the machine that was replaced was one I bought from another source 15 years ago,” recalled Kenah, who oversees 31 employees. “I like Polar cutters for their reliability and accuracy, and they hold up well, day after day. We cut a lot of material including paperboard, which really takes a toll on the machines.”
Productivity to handle huge amounts of material
Kenah’s grandfather Joseph, started the business in 1944 as a local paper and packaging supplier. His sons took the company to the next level, transitioning it from a supply company to a manufacturer of corrugated and folding boxes. Kenah and his son Mark, a company VP, represent third and fourth generation leadership. They continues to produce those types of packaging, in addition to custom work, for nationally known cosmetic, food and healthcare industry customers. Their soon-to-be 49,000 square-foot facility is located in North Irvington, New Jersey, about 15 miles from C&P headquarters.
Albert Paper Products also is known for its ability to service customers with fast turnaround on jobs. Kenah said business is good to the point where the two Polar machines are now cutting 30,000 pounds of material per week. That equates to over 1.5 million pounds annually. One of the benefits of having Microcut on the reconditioned Polar is improved productivity.
“When it was time to remove the old machine, Colter & Peterson made sure we had minimal downtime. They installed their reconditioned paper cutter and an operator trained my guys on Microcut the next day,” said Kenah. “We didn’t miss a beat.”
Albert Paper Products produces unique designs and maintains a sizeable inventory of all paperboard grades, in addition to micro flute corrugated.
“Our typical size paperboard is 25-by-60 inches and we use the Polars to cut it down to 22-1/2-by-30 inches, or multiples of,” remarked Kenah. “The machines cut chipboard packers, pads and inserts, and most of our jobs are in the 1,000 to 200,000 range. We do a lot of work for cosmetic and personal care companies, some layer boards with die cuts for food packagers, and medical packaging. It’s a good cross section of clients.”
Since installation was completed about a month ago, Kenah says the reconditioned Polar has passed muster with his operators, who run it one shift a day five days of the week.
“They all seem quite happy with it. With the amount of work we do, they are changing the blade on the machine once a week. The blade changes are simple and don’t take much time. That’s good because we have a lot of material to cut every day.”
