Students and faculty tour Kenosha paperboard packaging facility
Kenosha, WIS – Colbert Packaging Corporation, https://colbertpkg.com a leading manufacturer of custom paperboard folding cartons, labels, and inserts, hosted 40 students and faculty from LakeView Technology Academy (LTA) at its Kenosha facility. LTA is a choice school that specializes in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, which operates within the Kenosha Unified School District.
The Tour
Led by Director of HR and Corporate Compliance, Jeff MacDougall, Colbert employees conducted tours of the complete manufacturing process of a folding carton destined to protect the primary packaging of a pharmaceutical or consumer product. After a brief presentation about the company and printing technology, tour stops began with design, prepress and printing, and continued through the multiple manufacturing steps to packing and preparation for shipment.
Upon visiting the maintenance shop, students learned how maintaining the strictest standards for quality, safety and cleanliness is required to serve Colbert’s pharmaceutical, healthcare, and consumer packaging customers. All Colbert operations are 100% vision inspection capable, enabling potential defect detection without disrupting the production run—an important distinction for pharma and consumer packaging brand managers.
When the tour group reached the baler room where paper scrap from the manufacturing process is baled for recycling, students witnessed Colbert’s commitment to sustainability in action. As paperboard is 100% recyclable, zero paperboard scrap from its operations goes into a landfill. It is estimated Colbert Packaging recycles 3,000 tons of paper and production-related material in a typical year, equating to enough energy to heat 2,816 homes for six months*.
The Next Generation of Professionals
Lakeview’s Technology & Engineering Education Instructor Eric Sutkay said, “Colbert Packaging has been a great industry partner to work with! Not only have they employed several students through the Youth Apprenticeship program, they also recently provided a first-hand look into the packaging industry for 40 LakeView students. These opportunities provide our students with the information needed to make an educated decision about career pathways they may be interested in pursuing.”
Most of the LTA students are taking classes in robotics, 3D printing, CNC manufacturing and metal work (fabricating, machining, etc.), and they benefit from seeing real world applications of equipment in a manufacturing setting, as well as manufacturing jobs in action. Colbert Packaging also mentors and trains students through the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) Youth Apprenticeship Program.
“Colbert Packaging’s continued work with the educators and students of LakeView gives students an opportunity to see the importance of the STEM education fields outside of the classroom, and to gain experience and insight in their desired career paths through Youth Apprenticeship programs,” said MacDougall. “These relationships are invaluable to growing and mentoring the next generation of professionals who will lead our industry into the future.”
LakeView Technology Academy is Kenosha County’s premiere STEM high school, serving over 400 students annually in Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie and Somers. Its focus is developing and growing students’ love of STEM through hands-on engineering courses while also providing rigorous core academics that allow them to graduate with a well-rounded education that prepares them for college or career.
Colbert Packaging Corporation is a family-owned business with extensive R&D capabilities and a solid reputation for excellence. Founded in 1959, Colbert Packaging has grown its repertoire of paperboard packaging solutions into one of the most comprehensive, diverse, and inventive portfolios in the industry. Colbert’s Kenosha, Wisconsin facility produces offset and flexographic printed folding cartons, pressure-sensitive roll labels, and package inserts; the Elkhart, Indiana operation includes folding carton production and paper tray forming. Learn more at www.colbertpkg.com.
*Figures are based on EPA recycling standards
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