Clayton Walters News-Herald photos/John Speer

“We’ve broken all mill production records,” Tama Paperboard’s general manager Clayton Walters told The News-Herald last week. Walters fully credits “team work on the part of our employees, a lot of adjustments – small changes in procedures” which has resulted in the record-setting pace.

“We are focusing a lot more on reliability and problem solving,” he said of the present 77 hourly and seven salaried employees. The historic Tama mill originally opened in 1878.

Walters, new to the Tama operation in March, says production went up from 208 tons daily in February to 246 tons in May, an 18 percent increase.

The mill went 14 days without a breakdown during the same period breaking the old record of 13 days. In addition the plant at the time of the July 5 interview with Walters stood at 536 days without a reportable accident- second in the Caraustar Company.

The company recycles “box cuts” of corrugated cardboard. It blends different grades of the paper product together and is doing a “beter job of blending also” Walters said.

Tama Paperboard employees Rick Rodriguez and Jon Mills with the finished product at the mill in Tama on Thursday morning, July 5. The production here has risen 18 percent since February which manager Clayton praises the employees “teamwork” for the result.

According to company information “Caraustar’s Coated Recycled Paperboard (CRB) is manufactured for consumer products and the food and beverage industries. It is strong enough for the most delicate food products and meets FDA standards and food contact requirements.”

To continue to achieve its record setting pace and produce its quality product, Tama Paperboard is looking for employees to fill its 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week employment schedule, Walters said.

Walters says “we are extremely safety conscious” with workers being “team-based.” Shifts are what he describes as a “Southern Swing” consisting of a rotation from day- swing-night of seven days on, four days off, seven days on two days off and seven days on a third shift with another two days off.

New employees are hired on a temporary basis starting at $16 hourly. After about 90 days they are paid $21 hourly and “top out” currently at $26 hourly with skilled people being paid more, Walters siad.

Potential employees can pick up applications at the Caraustar Office at the plant at 117 Siegel.

Caraustar, headquartered in Austell, Ga., has over 3,500 employees operating 15 recycling paperboard mills, eight consumer packaging sites and 36 industrial product manufacturing facilities.