Customer Success Story: International Paper

September 9, 2024By Beth Orton

Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with a current customer who's had a CavCom communication system in place for 15 years. Here's a little bit about their work environment and their CavCom solution.

The Work Environment

We spoke with Mark, Shift Supervisor at International Paper. Mark and the employees he oversees manufacture corrugated boxes at a facility that operates 24 hours a day, five days a week. The work environment is fast-paced and the noise level qualifies as extremely high noise. If you've never seen this type of work, it might be hard to imagine.

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The machine they use is very loud, very long, and powered by steam. More often than not, employees working on either side of the machine are not able to see each other clearly. Plus, the temperature around the machine keeps their work environment at about 90-95 degrees.

In order to complete their work, employees need to be able to communicate with each other from one end to the other. But due to the nature of the work environment, making clear communication between workers can be an obstacle.

Prior to partnering with CavCom, the employees protected their hearing by wearing headsets. Big and bulky, these headsets held onto heat and got pretty heavy over the course of an eight-hour shift. The headsets also had a built-in microphone that employees used to communicate. It wasn't exactly ideal, but until they engaged with CavCom, it was the best they had.

Enter CavCom

International Paper knew that in order to maintain the standard of safety for employees and the quality of the product, their employees needed to be able to communicate properly. So when they learned about CavCom and found out they had a communication system that protected hearing, allowed for clear communication in high noise environments and kept employees comfortable, they wanted to learn more.

Talk Through Your Ears®

The system was called Talk Through Your Ears®, and it allowed International Paper’s employees to do just that. TTYE is an insertable hearing protector with a built-in, in-ear microphone. The technology picks up communication from inside the ear, meaning it doesn’t have to compete with noise in the atmosphere like lapel mics and other external microphones.

With TTYE, each employee has a pair of custom earsets that are professionally molded to fit only them. Mark shared with us, “They absolutely love this system. It’s so easy. I mean, even in the loudest area, you can hear perfectly clear. Since it goes through your ears, it’s very easy.”

How Employees Benefit from TTYE

In addition to protecting hearing and enabling communication, TTYE provides additional benefits over their previous solution.

“There’s the ease of use that CavCom’s have compared to the old headsets. Those headsets had a microphone that you used to have to reach up and turn on to talk, so you had to actually kind of stop what you were doing, reach up to your head and hit the microphone every time you wanted to speak. Now it’s just like a quick and easy button on your hip and you’re talking.

They are lightweight and comfortable, so they reduce head and neck strain. Plus, they don’t accumulate sweat like the old headsets did, and they’re easier to clean. Overall, they help keep everyone cooler and more comfortable throughout their shift, which means they’re not getting distracted by their hearing protectors.”

Right now, the International Paper’s corrugator crew includes 10 people per shift, and with three shifts per day, that’s a total of 30 people who are communicating with TTYE.

A 15-Year Partnership

Although the benefits are as clear today as they were in the beginning, International Paper has had CavCom’s Talk Through Your Ears? in place for 15 years. And Mark was kind enough to let us know, “With all the vendors I work with, CavCom’s probably been the easiest to work with. They’ve been very easy to get ahold of, and the times when I’ve called it’s been a quick resolution.”

Talk Through Your Ears® is a fantastic solution for work environments where employees work in extreme high noise. And whether your high noise environment is consistent throughout the workshift or inconsistent throughout the day, we have a CavCom solution for you.

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Customer Success Stories

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