Insight on Manufacturing

PLANT|NEWS cont. Cruisers Yachts and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts acquired the assets of Azure sports fishing boats, which may bring more jobs to Oconto. KCS International Inc., the parent company for Cruisers and Rampage, says it will move production tooling from Azure's plant in South Carolina to Oconto with the first Wisconsin- built boats in the Cruisers Sports Series rolling off the line in May or June. The purchase of Azure is expected to create 185 new jobs in Oconto over two years, according to the company. "We are sending a message to our dedicated employees that KCS intends to be in the boat business for a long time," says Mark Pedersen, president of KCS International. GREEN MANUFACTURERS PRAISED Several manufacturers in the New North received the Green Masters designation, the highest tier in the Green Masters Program established by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. Companies receiving the honors include KI in Green Bay, Appleton Papers, Menasha Packaging LLC in Neenah and Orion Energy Systems Inc. in Manitowoc. APPLETON, DOMTAR INK DEAL Papermaker Appleton and Domtar Corp. reached an agreement to supply the company with most of its uncoated base paper needs to produce its thermal, carbonless and other specialty paper products. The 15-year deal is valued at more than $3 billion, but will result in Appleton cutting about 330 jobs at a mill in West Carrollton, Ohio, that produced base paper. However, an additional 50 jobs will be created in Appleton as the company shifts its carbonless paper-coating operations from Ohio to a local converting plant. "We believe our proposal to discontinue papermaking operations 30 | INSIGHT on Manufacturing • March 2012 EVENT|NEWS MANUFACTURING MATTERS SET FOR MAY 9 Manufacturing Matters! features top-tier national speakers as well as Wisconsin manufacturers sharing their own success stories. This year's conference begins at 7 a.m. with registration and runs through 4 p.m. Tim Sullivan, the former president and CEO of Bucyrus International Inc., is the M conference's morning keynote speaker. Aaron Jagdfeld, president and CEO of Generac Power Systems, is the afternoon's main speaker. Gov. Scott Walker is also scheduled to appear. The day features a variety of seminars and sessions designed with separate tracks designed for executives and operations leaders. Some of the topics that will be covered include: advanced talent management/workforce development; innovation; e-business solutions; capital/finance; continuous improvement; food and feed; and regulatory and legal issues. The conference also features the State Government Listing Post with representatives from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., the Department of Natural Resources; the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Safety and Professional Services. These officials are able to answer questions and provide information to manufacturers from across the state. For more information or to register, visit www.wmep.org. F GLOBAL TRADE FOCUS OF EVENT The event features keynote speakers Thomas H. Bentley III, owner and CEO of Bentley World Packaging, and Gitane De Silva, counsel general of Canada. The day-long conference also features several breakout sessions, including tracks on export documentation and procedures; agricultural programs and resources for exporters; case studies featuring Northern Labs of Manitowoc and Marine Travelift of Sturgeon Bay; international methods of payment; and export financing and risk mitigation. For more information or to register, visit www.titletown.org. F T at West Carrollton is a competitive necessity and not a reflection of the talent or commitment of our mill employees," says Mark Richards, Appleton's chairman, president and chief executive officer. He said non-integrated paper mills, those not capable of producing pulp from logs or wood chips, are distinctly disadvantaged and no longer competitive. Worldwide demand for pulp has driven its market price to record highs, Richards says. Papermaker Appleton produces carbonless papers, thermal papers and Encapsys products. The company has operations in Appleton, Ohio and Pennsylvania. F www.insightonmfg.com he 10th Annual Northeastern Wisconsin Global Trade Conference will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on April 3 at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel. anufacturing Matters 2012!, an event designed for manufacturers across Wisconsin rolls into the Frontier Airlines Center in Milwaukee on May 9. Organized by the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership,

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