PPB February 2018

About HOWW Line Founding date: 1984 Principals: Brothers and co-owners Mike Kalamaras, president, and Jim Kalamaras, vice president Number of orders filled per month: We average 700 monthly orders. Notable accomplishments: “Other than running a very humble family business for 34 years, one of our largest accomplishments was fulfilling an order for four million mugs. We made a compartment mug for a cigarette company that had a race car inside the bottom, that was sold in convenience stores. It was in our earlier years in this industry, when promoting cigarettes was OK. Being such a large order, there was a lot involved with the timing. Everything had to work: from building tools to setting up production, and not to mention ordering a million dollars’ worth of mini race cars. We made 30,000 mugs a day to fill that order, making 750,000 a month. It was a huge success that we probably were not ready for at the time, but God bless us, things worked out. We have had many other large jobs over the years, but getting that first one under our belt was something to smile about.” Size of production facility: HOWW Line runs a 35,000-square-foot print operation and more than 200,000 square feet of molding operations. Number of employees: 45 employees in the print shop (up to 65 or more as needed). The molding plants, which are independently run, employ 80 to 100 staff members at any one time. Types of specialized equipment: Semi-automatic printers, conveyor-driven welders and robotics, and conveyors to keep the cycle times in line. Other unique features: “We not only design and build our own products and have patents on items that are truly unique in design, but we have an incredible staff. Some have been with us for over 30 years, many over 20 years, and quite a few at 10 years. It is an honor and a pleasure to be part of this family, as it is a pleasure to serve so many wonderful friends and clients within this industry. As the story goes, what a wonderful life!” — MK Jen Alexander is associate editor of PPB. Read on to learn more about HOWW Line’s production process for its thermal drinkware. 1 Thermal drinkware pieces are formed in a mold, then lifted out by a robotic arm, which lowers the pieces onto a conveyor belt. 2 The conveyor belt moves the parts to the operator for inspection, bagging and bulk packaging, and they are sent next to the production department, where decals are printed and laser cut on a specialized printer. 3 Decals are custom cut to fit the shape of the artwork and affixed to the inner wall of the thermal tumblers. | FEBRUARY 2018 | 71 CONNECT 4 The dual-walled tumblers are sonically welded together by a welding machine, and then packed with a straw and information card before the lid is fastened to the top. Finally, the finished tumblers move to packing.