Operator Training, the Most Undervalued Investment in Corrugated

When corrugated plants look to boost productivity, the knee-jerk reaction is often to invest in faster machines, more automation, or better software.

These upgrades promise efficiency gains, but without one critical ingredient, even the best tech falls short: skilled, confident operators.

Your operators are the real performance engine. And yet, structured training remains one of the most undervalued and underfunded areas of investment in the corrugated industry.

This article breaks down why that needs to change - and what to do about it.

Knowledge Builds Confidence (and Performance)

Walk into any corrugator control room and ask the operator why the machine is running the way it is - you’ll often hear a version of “because it always has.” While experienced operators develop instincts, this tribal knowledge is fragile. It doesn’t get documented. It doesn’t get passed on consistently. And it can’t be scaled.

What’s worse: it limits performance.

When operators lack a deeper understanding of the process, they hesitate to make adjustments. They avoid taking ownership of machine settings. Instead, they rely on defaults, defer to supervisors, or use workarounds that hide bigger problems. This results in:

• Poor process control
• Slower recovery from faults
• Inconsistent board quality
• Increased waste and scrap

The solution? Training that connects the dots.

Operators need more than functional button-pushing skills. They need process fluency: an understanding of the why, not just the how.

That means:

• Root cause analysis: Help teams troubleshoot steam, speed, starch, and substrate-related issues methodically.
• Moisture dynamics: Explain how relative humidity, liner absorption, and flute design impact finished board performance.
• Environmental factors: Explore how seasonal variation, storage conditions, and paper conditioning impact settings.
• Controlled fault simulations: Use downtime or digital twins to walk through scenarios like warp, delamination, and bond failures.

When operators understand the upstream and downstream consequences of their actions, they gain confidence, which in turn drives better and faster decisions.

Training Unlocks the Value of Your Technology

Corrugator control systems have come a long way. From basic PID loops to predictive setpoints and AI-enhanced decision-making, modern automation does far more than maintain temperature and speed.

But here’s the problem: if your operators don’t trust the system, they’ll bypass it.

That means your six-figure automation investment might be sitting idle - or worse, being used inconsistently, which undermines its impact.

Trust in technology doesn’t come from a user manual. It comes from experience, understanding, and training.

A well-trained operator knows:

• What the system is doing
• Why it’s making specific recommendations
• How to interpret visual alerts or automated adjustments
• When to intervene, and when to let the system work

To get there:

• Use dashboards with clear, intuitive visuals. Avoid information overload.
• Layer training with hands-on experience. Let operators explore system logic in controlled settings.
• Assign system “super users” - experienced staff who act as go-to mentors and can interpret control system data in plain language.

If you want your automation to deliver ROI, train your people to be its partner, not its passenger.

People Are Your Competitive Advantage

Machines can be bought. Software can be licensed. But your people - their skills, decision-making, and problem-solving - are what set your plant apart.

Consider this:

• Two plants can run the same paper grades on the same corrugator.
• One runs at 180 m/min with 7% waste. The other runs at 220 m/min with 3% waste.
• The difference? Operators who know how to extract maximum performance from the system - and who know how to recover quickly when things go wrong.
  
  

Even the most advanced tech still needs human input. Skilled operators are essential for:

• Diagnosing unexpected process variability
• Reacting intelligently to raw material changes
• Maintaining uptime by preventing minor issues from becoming big ones
• Achieving consistency across shifts and teams
  
  

Training creates this consistency. But only when it’s systematic and continuous.

Try this approach:

• Role-based learning paths: Tailor training to specific roles - wet end, dry end, stacker, shift lead.
• Cross-training: Expose operators to adjacent roles. A dry-end operator who understands wet-end dynamics will make better stacker decisions.
• Data literacy: Teach operators to interpret real-time metrics - like steam pressure, temperature delta, glue gap, and bond strength.
• Shift-wide rituals: Begin each shift with a 5-minute huddle to review current run specs, key targets, and any system feedback or alerts.

Closing the Loop: From Training to Continuous Improvement

Training isn’t a one-off event. It’s a loop that feeds into and benefits from your broader process improvement initiatives.

Use production data and incident reports to identify training needs. If a particular shift consistently shows higher waste or more downtime, it’s a flag for targeted support. If certain fault types recur (e.g., edge delamination on high-speed runs), bring that scenario into your training sessions.

You can even turn training into a motivator by:

• Tracking progress with training dashboards
• Offering recognition or rewards for operator certification milestones
• Promoting from within based on technical and leadership skills

Done well, training not only builds better operators, it creates better teams, more resilient operations, and a culture of shared accountability.

Start With Your People - And Never Stop

The truth is, no machine upgrade or software system will ever outperform a well-trained, engaged, and empowered team. Operator training is not a cost - it’s a multiplier.

If you want to:

• Reduce waste
• Increase uptime
• Improve board quality
• Shorten troubleshooting cycles
• Get full ROI from your technology investments

Then start with your people.

Ready to Go Deeper?

Whether you're looking to reduce waste, increase uptime, or empower your operators, the first step is understanding your process.

• Join one of our live or on-demand webinars to explore best practices in real-world scenarios.
• Or book a corrugator consultation - we’ll review your current setup and highlight key areas for improvement.