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As a sales manager for a large paper company, 20-year paper industry veteran Todd
Morrison found that he and his team spent 80% of their time trying to sell 20% of
their production. The goal seemed easy - keep the paper machines trimmed from edge
to edge 100% of the time. The problem was that orders came in sizes that didn't
match the equipment.
That left two choices: convince the customer to buy a different size roll or the
most common solution - create a trim roll, then find a customer for it when the job
was done. "Because we had no secondary converting equipment, we relied on selling
the butt rolls and trying to get market prices," recalls Morrison. "It was prime
paper, but it was rarely the exact length our customers were looking for. The only
alternative was using rewinders.
Most mills discount these rolls into the seconds market or repulp them. It is a
much bigger issue than most operations are looking at. And not surprisingly, printers
were having the same issue with extra inventory building in their warehouses."
Morrison realized that the industry needed a machine capable of cutting a roll while
retaining all of its original characteristics and to do it faster-much faster-than
current technology could accomplish. "Everybody knows that you can't do better than
the original mill wound roll. One downside to slitters/rewinders is that you are
at the mercy of the machine and the operator. Paper converted on them is naturally
more prone to poor runnability and even web breaks."
The design for a new machine began to take shape. "In thinking through the problem,
I realized the best solution was not to replace existing technology but to augment
it," says Todd. "Rewinders are fine for core and diameter changes.
What we needed
was a machine dedicated solely to resizing rolls that only needed a change in length-one
capable of cutting several rolls per hour."
In 2003, Morrison founded Mapleroc to begin the task of inventing a whole new technol-ogy.
He assembled a team of talented industry engineers and industry veterans to ensure
that the new machine would meet the demands of mills, converters and printers After
four years of intense development and testing, they had perfected the RollRazor.
Using a highly engineered blade that generates virtually no heat, the RollRazor
cuts original mill wound rolls from the outer diameter through the core in one pass,
creating a press-ready roll in just 3 minutes.
The results have been as impressive as the technology. The RollRazor is now helping
the industry maximize throughput like never before, adding efficiency and profitability
to a number of operations.
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