Golden West Packaging Group, formed around six years ago through the acquisition of Cal Sheets, operates as part of a partnership consortium. Golden West Packaging comprises around ten converting plants, with the Golden West Stockton site being the sole plant equipped with a corrugator, supplying various flutes to plants in Northern California and Washington state.
The challenge
The Stockton plant faced challenges with its under-utilized eProductivity Software Escada corrugator control system. With the leadership of Darwin Featherstone, Operations Manager, the company embarked on a strategic approach to re-awaken the system, improve the reliability of its corrugator, and address operational challenges.
“When I came on board at Cal Sheets, we attempted to update the Escada system; we discovered that many of our materials and hardware were obsolete. We proposed to corporate to purchase the new system to receive the benefits of better quality, faster run speeds, and more reliability,” comments Darwin.
The solution
Golden West Stockton adopted a two-pronged approach: fully utilizing the existing Escada system’s capabilities and holding the OEM accountable for machine status. Darwin continues, “The team from Escada came in prepared with a set of goals, ready to achieve them. We assisted with our maintenance team.
“I was impressed with the professionalism and dedication – they were accommodating in explaining not only to my maintenance team but to the operators also – it was a structured communication, along the lines of: ‘Here’s what we found,’ ‘Here’s what the system can do for you,’ ‘Here’s how you take care of it,’ and above all ‘This is what needs to make it work.’ Our team appreciated it.
“I’ve had a lot of experience with different systems in my 37-year career, and working with Escada was different – the preparation work before going live and the communication between our teams made it smooth.”
The results
The installation was a resounding success, highlighted by quick buy-in from the wider business teams and notable improvements in reliability and speed. The upgraded system facilitated running orders at higher speeds immediately after going live.
Darwin continues, “We had an agriculture job that typically would run that at about 550 – 560 ft per min, and the day we went live, we ran that same order, 150 to 200 lineal ft per min faster. That was one of the immediate takeaways, and we’ve seen our crews pushing the speeds ever since.
“In addition to the increase in speed, we are now experiencing less than 10 mins of downtime per shift. Before the upgrade, our bridge control wasn’t reliable, our sync splice was off, and we would experience many overruns that would lead to paper jams and stoppages. With Escada , we can now see the bridge control function and have dialed in our sync splice settings, which has been a success story.
“This combination of higher throughput coupled with reduced waste has meant that we have not worked a whole five-day week since the first full week of September (2023) – our MSF per corrugator hour has increased in less time – we’re running what we did in five days now in four – a 20% increase in productivity. There’s a big target on our sales teams to win more business.
“I take every investment project methodically – within the next six months, I should be able to make up this investment cost in just waste savings alone. It’s a solid investment for us.”
The partnership approach with Escada yielded positive results based on clear communication and a dedication to success. The company envisions a quick return on investment and plans to explore additional technologies offered by Escada.
Darwin concludes, “I’ve always worked with suppliers as a partnership; what I’ve experienced with ePS Escada is that we have a great partnership and consistent communication. We utilize facts and data to drive our decisions… if you can stay consistent and make logical decisions, anything’s possible.”
The future
Recognizing its niche focus, Golden West Stockton emphasizes a scientific approach to upgrades based on facts and data. The company aims to expand its customer base, especially in digital and higher-margin materials, while maintaining a service-driven model with quick turnaround times. Brand recognition is shifting towards “Golden West Stockton” to showcase the organization’s capabilities beyond Cal Sheets. The company aims to position itself as a service-driven, technologically advanced leader in the industry.
