Southern Missouri Containers, Inc. (SMC Packaging Group) is completing the final phase of a major expansion and relocation of its Springfield, Mo. operation, consolidating six facilities into two buildings and adding several pieces of high-speed converting equipment. Springfield is the flagship location of SMC Packaging Group, a closely held and employee owned corrugated company with 500 total employees and 326 in Springfield. Since its founding in 1972 SMC has grown to four locations across the Midwest, in Kansas City and Springfield, Mo., Conway, Ark., and Tulsa, Okla.
The relocation allowed for the addition of several new pieces of equipment, including a MarquipWardUnited 66 x 125-inch rotary die-cutter and a MarquipWardUnited 66 x 125-inch flexo folder-gluer, both with top and bottom print stations. The six-color diecutter has four bottom and two top print units with JB Machinery dryers, a stacker from A.G. Stacker, a Signode bundler and a pre-feeder, bundle breaker and load former from Alliance Machine SystemsInternational. The three color flexo folder-gluer has two bottom and one top print units with JB Machinery dryers, a Signode bundler and an Alliance pre-feeder and load former. Also new is a Bobst Expertfold specialty folder gluer, a Signode GCU unitizer and an ink dispenser from Poteet Printing Systems. To accommodate the additional capacity, C&M Conveyor and CreAlutions extended the mainline conveyor.