Harvest of Plenty

[Music] sunrise sunset and in between a day of growth of life of plenty of harvest [Music] from dry oceans of winter wheat to orchards of fruitful delights all the good things of the earth and the vine and the pasture man's food and drink an industry that encompasses in the united states alone more than two million seven hundred thousand farms more than a billion acres of land 600 million dollars worth of livestock 4.3 million farm workers and more than one and a half million food processing and production employees and it all generates more than 2 billion man-hours spent every year in the processing delivery and marketing of food and beverage items and corrugated packaging to help deliver transport warehouse produce and market that food corrugated boxes corrugated systems and services corrugated packaging expertise to move store and sell a nation's harvest [Music] so we begin with the land millions of acres of trees forests of southern pine northern hardwoods great western reaches of green managed woodland all planted nurtured and harvested with 20th century forestry technology designed to produce maximum yield from a genetically superior and renewable resource [Music] and from the forests timber goes to the mill where pulpers and digesters convert wood to slurry and block long paper machines convert slurry to container board the basic corrugated element and from there to box plants more than 1300 facilities strategically located in key market areas across the nation plants producing millions of corrugated containers in every conceivable size and shape corrugated packaging a natural product generated from renewable resources 95 of america's consumer goods are packaged shipped or sold in corrugated containers from forest to box plant to market corrugated counts big business in every sense of the word and big business for the food and beverage industry nearly 30 of all the corrugated packaging produced in the united states is utilized by food and beverage processors producers or distributors 64 billion square feet of paper board material weighing nearly 5 million tons and sales volume totaling more than 1.7 billion dollars annually [Music] so and why corrugated for the food and beverage industry first protection despite its light weight corrugated packaging can take a beating in an increasingly rugged marketplace and still deliver the goods particularly delicate and often perishable food items [Music] and pound for pound no other packaging material can equal corrugate its track record on cost only 1.4 cents out of every retail dollar is spent to package the average product in corrugated [Music] an average corrugated shipping box containing products valued at twenty dollars would cost only about 28 cents and corrugated adapts to and promotes high speed processing and packing so vital to the food industry [Music] and finally corrugated can serve as a high impact promotional vehicle every bit as crucial to merchandising as the other packages and products it protects for corrugated is more than a shipper more than a suitcase more than a container for other containers corrugated is a versatile marketing tool for the food and beverage industry at every stage of the distribution process there was a time of course when the past was prologue and when the systems that brought man his food and drink were as basic as the family grocery and the milk wagon and the push cart and the cracker barrel it was a time of open trucks wire-bound crates wooden boxes and oak kegs today the food and beverage industry is as streamlined and supercharged as the markets and lifestyles it serves and corrugated packaging has played a major role in the transition in the dairy soft drink wine and beer industries the corrugated box combines strength and durability with light weight and cost effectiveness and for meat producers once able to ship only whole or half carcasses to market corrugated now allows entirely new marketing concepts [Music] the packaging of primal cuts direct from producer to market without surplus bone or fat the result more usable meat product per shipment [Music] for fresh fruits and vegetables the wooden crate has become a packaging dinosaur unable to adapt to a new world of convenience and economy millions of pounds of vegetables and fruits now rush to market in corrugated containers containers specially designed for everything from melons to mushrooms apples to avocados pineapples to potatoes automated case setup packing and sealing allows efficient reliable operations reduces labor lowers customer costs [Music] concepts like bag in box lining a corrugated container with a plastic bag allows shipment of liquid products like milk water and syrups as well as frozen fruits purees and vegetables partitionless corrugated packaging for glass packed items encourages high-speed filling and packing lines designed to meet the demands of mass distribution and special surface treatments make corrugated board moisture resistant or waterproof with anti-skid coatings filled boxes stack better and won't slip on conveyors and anti-abrasion coatings applied to box interiors prevent abrasion of particularly delicate items corrugated packaging is clean and durable with colorful eye-catching graphics for extra marketing punch and corrugated is disposable recyclable and then there is tomorrow who will feed some 300 million americans in the approaching future as well as millions of other individuals around the world who will plant grow nurture reap process ship and market this harvest of plenty the american food and beverage industry will and corrugated will be there to help with sophisticated systems designed to save money and time [Music] with promotional tools that are a natural part of the marketing mix and with basic and not so basic shippers designed to move a nation's breakfast lunch and dinner quickly efficiently economically the food and beverage industry will change to meet the needs of new markets new people and corrugated products technology and services will be there to help make it happen [Music] corrugated the shipping container the distribution and processing system and most significantly the marketing and promotional tool for today and tomorrow for this harvest of plenty [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you