The Paperboard Packaging Council’s (PPC) Folding Carton Boot Camp, next taking place on June 9-10, 2015, in Springfield, Mass., works to provide Millennials and other new packaging professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the design and manufacture of sustainable paperboard packaging.

The intensive, two-day workshop covers the entire folding carton production process, from certified forest all the way to the store shelf. First, industry experts explain the papermaking process and also describe the properties and application of inks and coatings. Prepress processes like CAD, layout, and graphics are explained in simple terms, as are a variety of others including tooling, embossing, foil stamping, stripping, finishing, gluing and windowing. The curriculum concludes with an assessment of automated packaging equipment. Participants leave the seminar with a certificate of achievement as well as a resource binder including samples of different board types.

“At PPC, we understand the changing demographics in the package manufacturing industry,” says Ben Markens, PPC president. “Plant owners and brand managers need an efficient and cost effective means for training the incoming Millennial generation on the ins and outs of folding cartons. The PPC Folding Carton Boot Camp fills that need perfectly.”

Indeed, whereas most attributes of top performing packaging employees — such as dedication and punctuality — are innate, specific folding carton knowhow and expertise must be learned. The Folding Carton Boot Camp provides such expertise, saving organizations hours of training time. Considering consumers’ current interest in sustainable packaging like paperboard, Boot Camp is a valuable resource for brand owners and packaging manufacturers that wish to deliver upon consumer preferences.

Boot Camp is open to PPC members, brand owners and non-members. To register or for more information, call 413.686.9191, email michelle@paperbox.org, or visit paperbox.org/bootcamp.