HAZLETON, Penn. — Nov. 15, 2016 — An impressive new world record of 8,386 consecutive, successful splices has been set by Robert Williams of Freedom Corrugated, a BW Papersystems’ customer, in Hazleton, PA. Williams has successfully made every splice he’s attempted since February 5, 2015, and his record is growing daily as he continues to tally up more successful splices.
“It was a complete team effort,” Williams said, when asked about the secret of his success. “There was a lot of support from maintenance and great communication up and down the corrugator.”
Representatives from BW Papersystems, part of the Barry-Wehmiller family, and Freedom Corrugated celebrated the new record with Williams and presented him with a MarquipWardUnited Century Club, World Champion Splicer Operator Belt.
The record was set in coordination with the MarquipWardUnited Century Club Program in which operators are recognized for achieving 100, 500 and 1,000 consecutive splices without a miss. Enrollment in the program requires a training session with MarquipWardUnited Splicer Trainer John Podmolik, who audits the machines, materials and practices before providing detailed instructions on getting the best out of a MarquipWardUnited machine.
Williams’ world record tops the list of many successful previous world record-holders, including Mike Storm (4,885) and Juan Carlo Cerdas (4,082) from New England Sheets. Before Cerdas, the record was held by Tony Jimenez of Independence Corrugated with 3,741 splices without a miss. Who will be the next to break the world record?