Thomas Wamser

For the past 75 years, not only has the economy changed, but the paperboard and packaging industry has greatly changed as the industrial base of the United States has shifted abroad. For any industrial company to sustain itself, a flexible outlook is necessary — as is leadership that is ready to build a strategy to meet a changing environment.

Proteus Packaging is proof that a firm that started out as a carton manufacturer in 1932 can invest in expansion and stay afloat in an economy where "smokestack companies" have become a thing of the past. To get the gist of who they are and how they have repositioned themselves in today's industry, Paperboard Packaging spoke to Proteus' ceo, Thomas Wamser.

Paperboard Packaging (PP): Can you give us an overview of Proteus and its history?

Thomas Wamser (TW): Since 1932, Beck Carton Corp. has been manufacturing packages for the pharmaceutical, nutritional, health and beauty, and automotive industries. The company is privately owned and, until recently, was located in three 100-year-old, five-story and 250,000 total sq ft buildings in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward.

We knew, however, that to effectively serve our global customers while also anticipating industry trends, the company needed to move to be more efficient. Two years of extensive planning, designing and building ensued with dramatic results: a new, 246,000-sq-ft, state of the art manufacturing and office building located in Franklin, Wis.

The move provided the perfect opportunity to change our name to better reflect our packaging capabilities; the name chosen was Proteus Packaging. Taken from Greek mythology, the sea god Proteus could transform himself to any shape — and was sought after for his insight into the future. The name evolved over time to mean versatile, capable and adaptable, qualities that Beck Carton customers have come to expect over the past 75 years.

As a single-story structure, the new plant supports a circular work flow: Raw materials enter the plant at the same place where finished products are shipped out. With four times the storage capacity as the three older buildings, the new plant uses only a fraction of the square footage, thanks to a high racking system and laser-guided forklifts.

The new office design allows teams significant room to work, including mock-ups.

The building's design has boosted productivity an astounding 25 percent. One example of this improved productivity is a pallet that would typically be handled 17 times in the previous buildings is now handled only four or five times. Such efficiencies save customers money, shorten project times, and improve warehousing and on-demand shipping. The increase in overall efficiency has helped keep pace with new business opportunities.

PP: How have you been successful leading the company?

TW: Proteus has benefited from a strong leadership team and minimal turnover. The experience of our staff has helped us thrive in the paperboard packaging industry, and develop a successful transition strategy to the new facility. My decisions always take into account thorough industry research and the recommendation of our experienced staff.

PP: From your perspective, what are some of the greatest challenges faced in the industry today?