BW Converting’s Packaging Innovation Center in Green Bay is designed as a dedicated environment for practical flexographic training, operator development and customer collaboration. The facility replicates a fully equipped pressroom, giving participants direct access to live equipment, guided production demonstrations and instruction focused on real production challenges. The center is equipped for platemaking, plate mounting, flexographic and digital printing, as well as bag converting, allowing trainees to follow the entire process chain from prepress to finished product. The concept is aimed at helping printers and converters build operator confidence, improve troubleshooting capabilities and strengthen day-to-day pressroom performance through structured, hands-on learning.
The facility features a newly installed PCMC Meridian Elite+ laser anilox cleaner. According to BW Converting, the system can clean four anilox rolls simultaneously and operates without the use of water, chemicals or compressed air. This configuration is intended to reduce downtime associated with anilox maintenance while supporting the company’s stated focus on sustainability and operator safety. Placing this technology within the training environment allows participants to see anilox cleaning as part of the broader pressroom workflow, rather than as a separate maintenance task.
Structured three-day seminars with practical focus
The Packaging Innovation Center regularly hosts three-day flexographic seminars delivered by Fox Valley Flexo Services. Training is led by two former educators from Fox Valley Technical College who combine teaching experience with decades of practical industry work. Each session is tailored to the group’s background and expectations; class sizes are kept small to support intensive, hands-on exercises, one-on-one troubleshooting and close interaction with the equipment.
“Every session is shaped around the specific needs of the people in the room,” said Mark Keller, Fox Valley Flexo Services. “We focus on fundamentals, but we go deep where it matters, whether that's troubleshooting press components or understanding how ink and substrate choices affect final output.”
The curriculum covers a broad set of pressroom and prepress topics, including press setup and operation, printing plates, mounting tapes, doctor blades, process color, ink management and corona treatment. Participants are involved in live production demonstrations and guided press operation, which are used to reinforce theoretical concepts with immediate practical application. This structure is intended to bridge the gap between classroom-style training and production reality, particularly for operators and technicians who spend most of their time on the press floor.
Expanding access to laser anilox cleaning
In 2026, BW Converting plans to expand access to the PCMC Meridian Elite+ system hosted at the Packaging Innovation Center. The initiative will begin with the Harper Roadshow in January, during which the laser anilox cleaner will be demonstrated under live production conditions. Attendees will have the opportunity to observe the complete cleaning cycle, assess cleaning results on different anilox rolls and discuss integration of this technology into their own maintenance processes.
Presenting the Meridian Elite+ in an operational pressroom is intended to give converters and printers a clearer view of the system’s role in print consistency, color stability and overall press efficiency. By situating the technology demonstration within a training context, BW Converting links maintenance practices such as anilox cleaning directly with print quality and uptime objectives.
Target groups and training schedule
Training at the Packaging Innovation Center is open to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the flexographic printing process. The seminars are positioned for press operators, pre-production teams, press assistants, customer service representatives and maintenance personnel, reflecting the range of functions that influence print quality and press reliability in a converting plant.
“The Packaging Innovation Center allows us to demonstrate real-world solutions in a setting that encourages learning, experimentation and connection,” said Rodney Pennings, Director of Sales, Print, BW Converting. “Whether you’re a technician refining your skills or a converter evaluating new technologies, this is a place built to support your goals.”
The final class of 2025 took place from December 2 to 4. BW Converting announced that a full schedule of 2026 training sessions at the center will be released soon. Information on upcoming seminars and the capabilities of the Packaging Innovation Center is available at the company’s website.
