Idaho-For over 30 years the Longview Fibre Co. plant in Twin Falls has been supplying corrugated boxes for agricultural and business packaging needs throughout the region. The Twin Falls plant is one of 17 converting plants in 12 states that make up Longview Fibre's national network of paper-packaging facilities. From Twin Falls the company services customers in Idaho and Montana plus parts of Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Utah. A versatile plant, the Twin Falls facility manufactures both single-wall and double-wall containers, prints on boxes in one to four colors, has pre-print availability and produces specialty boxes. "In-plant container design capabilities are an important part of Longview Fibre's competitive edge," said Dave Dal Soglio, vice president of sales for the Western Container Division. Customers benefit from innovative packaging solutions developed in the Twin Falls design-engineering center where structural and graphic designers utilize a computerized design-aid system and sample table to develop prototype containers. "Twin Falls value-added containers package everything from fresh potatoes, french fries, apples and peaches to computers, books, exercise equipment and medical supplies to meat, cheese, tea, onions, mushrooms, canned goods, beverages and dairy products," Dal Soglio said. Since it was built in 1970, the Twin Falls plant has undergone four major multi-million-dollar renovations to both modernize and expand the plant's capabilities. Today, the plant's more than 400,000 square feet is regarded as one of the largest operations in the corrugated container industry. John King, who manages the Twin Falls plant, said "dual 98-inch corrugators are key to providing the large production capacity." The plant also uses top-end equipment such as six Martin flexo folder gluers for color printing, computerized ink blending for consistent color accuracy, and uses Ward rotary and Bobst DRO die cutters to make sophisticated die-cut boxes. Service to customers is further enhanced by linking of material flow through the entire operation. An automatic materials handling and storage conveyor system with several smart cars serves the production area and connects into the warehouse and truck loading areas. Under the company's QualityOne program with statistical process control, the manufacturing process steps are checked and rechecked to ensure packaging that meets or exceeds the customers' expectations. "We take great pride in the plant's stringent quality-control system," King said. After the containers are manufactured in Twin Falls, they are shipped to satellite distribution centers in Caldwell, Idaho Falls and Reno, Nev. This system often allows customers to benefit from same-day service. Approximately 140 individuals are employed at the Twin Falls plant. The company's pulp and paper mill at Longview, Wash., is one of the largest in the world. It produces broad lines of papers and containerboard, including the board that the Twin Falls plant converts into boxes. Longview Fibre also operates a modern sawmill in central Washington that makes dimension lumber and other specialty lumber products. And the company owns more than 570,000 acres of timberland in nine tree farms in Oregon and Washington that are managed under a sustainable forestry program.