Integrate for Success

Implementing an ERP system has helped Sonoco integrate its operations in 35 countries.

Sonoco is a company that employs more than 16,500 people with operations in 35 countries—doing business in 85 countries. The packaging solutions provider has invested in growing the consumer side of its business by moving into packaging platforms such as rigid paperboard and flexible and rigid plastics. Growing through acquisitions, the company boasts a variety of equipment that allows Rob Tiede, vice president of Global Flexibles and Packing Services, to state, "There isn't a whole lot we are not capable of doing on the converting side." What did pose a challenge to the $3.6 billion company was tying all of its facilities together and simplifying data transfer between them.

From pine trees to films

One of Sonoco's divisions is dedicated solely to flexible packaging, which is film-based. The company has come a long way since 1899 when it made paper out of southern pine trees to manufacture cone-shaped paper yarn carriers. "Over the years the company not only refined its paper-making process, but also developed converting operations downstream to build these cones, which today we call tubes and cores," says Tiede. "We really grew that business over the years both through acquisition as well as startups, giving us a broad footprint across the country." Today, Sonoco's largest tube and core facility is in the 300,000 sq. ft. range, according to Tiede.

Sonoco offers rotogravure, flexographic, and digital printing capabilities, printing up to 11 colors. It can laminate and apply cold seal inline, does both single and tandem flexible extrusion lamination, adhesive lamination, solventless lamination, precision diecutting, laser scoring, and coatings.

Sonoco owns equipment manufactured by Rotomec, N.A. Cerutti, Fischer & Krecke, and Windmoeller & Hoelscher, often holding multiple pieces of equipment from each of these brands. The variety of suppliers is born from how the business came together through acquisitions. "It'd be one thing if you started from scratch," Tiede explains. "You might approach it a little bit differently. As a result of the acquisitions, you get different pieces of equipment."

The company focuses its flexible packaging business on various food segments. Tiede says, "Most of the large spend pools in the subcategorization of food is where we participate." These include the bakery segment, confections, snack, and beverage. "Our focus is to play where there are high-impact graphics and high-performance laminations," he adds. "That's really where we focus our time and attention."

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