DOVER – For many Delawareans, it seems like it’s been a long wait for the Delmarva Corrugated Packaging plant to open in Dover. For President and Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Coleman, it’s been a pretty fast turnaround.
“Our contractors had us built in eight months rather than 18 months, so if the state is looking for a poster child for Ready in Six, we’re it,” Coleman joked.
Coleman oversees the “super plant,” which has hired 64 people to date and installed much of its equipment to corrugate 110-inch rolls of paper for boxes. The machine can produce corrugated board reaching Boston working 24 hours a day.
Come 2022, the company will finally close its New Jersey plant and focus all operations in Dover. Production will ramp up to load product on 50 tractor-trailers by next October.
As a seasoned veteran in the manufacturing industry, Coleman said he’s always known the struggles with attracting and retaining employees. But he’s been struck by how many new employees are willing to come from Central Pennsylvania or Southern New Jersey to work in Dover.
“That enthusiasm is something you don’t find everywhere, and it’s a pleasant surprise,” Coleman said. “They really have the potential to work their way up, because that’s the culture we want to have. We don’t just say the customer is the most important thing – it’s about the team and how you treat them.”
In the new year, Coleman expects to play an integral role in central Delaware as it hires scores more and ideally collaborates with neighbors Procter & Gamble, Kraft and Edgewell Personal Care.
