Graphic Packaing International Plant Visit

Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio taking part in a program called Engineering Value in U.S. Manufacturing.

Today we visited a Graphic Packaging International (GPI) plant in Kenton, Ohio about half an hour Southeast of Ada. GPI mainly produces paper based packaging and products for the food and home goods industry. Including cardboard pasta boxes, and insulated cups for McDonald’s. The Kenton plant is a food service plant mainly producing cups, lids, and a few other specialty items like movie theatre popcorn bowls. GPI manufactures cups for Starbucks, DQ, McDonald’s, and about 700 other companies. Producing an average of 10 million cups per day the plant impressed me.

Upon arrival at the plant we sat down and listened to a presentation put on by the engineering team which were all extremely welcoming and friendly. The lead engineer who’s specific role I don’t recall is an industrial engineer from Kenton who graduated from Purdue. After the presentation we asked a lot of good questions to which they answered thoroughly.

After all questions were answered, we put on safety gear, visibility vests, safety glasses, hair nets, and ear plugs. And then went inside the plant itself. As you enter you immediately are drawn to the tubes sprawling across the ceiling with cups flying through which never got boring. The amount of safety measures in place was on par with what I expected but still amazed me. Yellow railings and gates completely separated any walking areas from any work areas. And at areas where forklifts and employees could interact, bright blue lights flashed when pedestrians were present. There were many interesting innovations at GPI. For instance, blue lights were mounted on the forklifts that shine a blue light about 10 feet in front and behind the lift to alert any pedestrians of the forklift. Prior to the visit I knew that the plant would be large, but the size of the plant can only be truly imagined if witnessed in person.

Probably the most intriguing thing at GPI was the systems displays that were developed this year, in house by one of the engineers. The displays were spread out through the plant and showed production numbers and predictions, and a real time display of how each machine is running. The GUI looked professionally done, and was super customized for GPI. This whole system got me extra excited because in this program I am the only computer science student among a bunch of mechanical engineers.

After the tour we ate lunch, and were provided with 2 projects. The first was an issue regarding the reloading of paper rolls onto the blank making machine. The process is slow, labor intensive, and dangerous. The process requires a worker to hand pump a hydraulic lift and manipulate a 400-lb roll of paper, which is not easy.

The second project dealt with the storage and transport of cylinders that need to be inserted into the blank making machine to grasp the paper left after cutting out the shape needed for the product. The outside of these aluminum tubes are lined with strategically places spikes that stick out an inch or two. Surrounding the spikes are hollow cylinders that move freely between covering the spike completely, and exposing the spike. This combination allows the tube to grasp and then release the excess paper by stabbing it then pushing it off. The cylinders that push the paper off of the spikes are pushed out by an offset drum inside the tube. The reason these tubes are a concern to the engineers at GPI mostly concern the safety of the workers who change out these tubes. The tubes weigh approximately 50 pound, 4.5 feet long, and a foot in diameter. Interchanging the tubes requires a worker to lift and insert the tube into the machine horizontally. Which when dealing with a heavy, awkward object lined with spikes is not the most safe process. We were asked to come up with a better way to store, and interchange the cylinder in the machine. The cylinders are switched out for each specialty product, which ranges from 1-4 times a day. And they have 6 cylinders, but could have more in the future.

Overall, the visit to GPI was interesting and fun. And I am looking forward to our visits to Sauder Furniture, and Crown in the upcoming days.

Alex Weininger