Graphic Packaging International - July 8, 2024

Our hats go off to several key players of GPI’s leadership team: Mike Doss, President & CEO, Mike Farrell, Executive Vice President-Paperboard Manufacturing, and Elizabeth Spence, Executive Vice President HR.

These folks were kind enough to break away from their busy schedules and have lunch with our team and get to know each other just a little better.

The team from TAPPI included Mary Beth Cornell, Ashley Westbrook, Leeza Klimetz, Lawton Roberts, and yours truly Larry Montague.

We met in their brand-new corporate headquarters building, located at 1500 Riveredge Parkway Atlanta, GA 30328. Complete with several huddle up areas for staff, restaurants and a state-of-the-art, workout center. (My team did not want to leave.)

GPI consolidated three locations under one roof. The building was bustling with a large number of employees making things happen for GPI.

They love to come to the office!

One of coolest areas was the Global Innovation Center. This is the spot that their customers can draft up a package design and have it produced while they watch.

During lunch we shared our TAPPI360 presentation with our hosts and asked them questions about what is going on with GPI.

They seem to have zoomed in on TAPPI Standards and TIPS, our focus on Students and Young Professionals and all the training programs that TAPPI offers.

 Mike Farrell commented, “TAPPI Standards and TIPs made my career early on. I was able to create an entire press section because of them.”

One of the largest active projects is a new paperboard mill located in Waco, TX. They broke ground around a year ago and plan to be live in the fourth quarter of 2025. The mill will employ two hundred people and manufacture 550,000 tons of paperboard per year. One of the unique characteristics of this mill is the three feedstock lines with a top-of-the-line drum pulper that will manage even paper cups with a light PE coating, OCC, and mixed paper.

Now that is what I call a vision!

And speaking of vision, GPI has released their Vision 2030. Some of the highlights are listed below:

Expansion of capabilities with diversified portfolio of consumer markets and products built over time.

 In 2017 GPI had sales of $4.4 billion. In 2023 their sales were $9.3 billion. The industries included in these numbers are food, beverage, foodservice, household products and healthcare & beauty.

GPI is a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging with seventy locations in North America and forty-five locations in other countries.

GPI is in this position due to:

Innovation: Building the leading sustainability-focused consumer packaging innovation platform.

Culture: Enabling a safe, inclusive, customer-focused culture.

Planet: Steadily and measurably improving the environmental footprint of consumer packaging.

Results: Consistently executing for customers, shareholders, and all stakeholders.

GPI has a great vision, company, products, and people to achieve their goals today and in the future.

There are two types of people in our industry, TAPPI Members and those who should be.

Until next time…………………Larry N. Montague