Packaging News
The “atelier” brand is a hybrid FBB product available in weights from 220 gsm to 350 gsm and is being produced at the company’s Maastricht mill.
It is a multi-ply board produced on a single-wire board machine, designed to boost brightness and gloss with a silk touch.
Sappi claims to have achieved a brightness level of 99% on the top side, and on the reverse side, a brightness factor of 98% to accommodate the increasing demand for printing on both sides of the board for added impact.
Thomas Kratochwill, Sappi director sales and marketing specialities, said the new launch was part of Sappi’s ongoing strategy to increase its production of speciality products in response to growing market demand.
Lars Scheidweiler, product group manager rigid packaging, Sappi Europe, said 10 years ago the paper giant entered the carton board market with the Sappi Algro Design family of SBB carton board, which he said is still growing at double-digit rates currently.
“Now we are going to do it again with atelier. The new Sappi FBB combines our signature bright-white finish with the rigidity and strength required in a folding box board to deliver perfect functionality with any type of carton board printing, converting, finishing or post-production handling that can be imagined. We are extremely excited to be bringing this new hybrid FBB to our European customers.”
Prior to developing atelier, Sappi Europe conducted market research to identify the top folding box boards from leading European suppliers.
“At a minimum, we wanted to be in line in terms of the physical properties, including rigidity, bulk and strength, while going beyond today’s known visual properties. At the same time we aimed at bringing tangible and purely unique characteristics to folding box board that would clearly set us apart in the marketplace,” said Scheidweiler.
Additionally, Berry Wiersum, chief executive of Sappi Fine Paper Europe, told Packaging News the paper giant is reaping the rewards of its €61m investment at the Alfeld mill in Germany last year.
“In production capacity we have gone from 150,000 tons to around about 285,000 tons, and that’s because of the conversion of the graphics machine in Alfeld last year.”
He said customers are not in the risk-taking business and wanted to be assured of capacity and continuity of supply, which the investment achieved.
Wiersum said the folding box board market in Europe is worth 2m tonnes, and FBB sits under the luxury packaging sector, and that Sappi is targeting all folding box boards sectors – including pharma, food, and cosmetics.
He added that the paper market as a whole is a growing market there isn’t an over capacity.
“Customers say if there is a trust-worthy capacity we can change categories form plastic to paper. We r all in our own niches and we don’t really compete with others. The market at the moment seems big enough for everybody to find their own way. In a number of years time you will find some of these markets are more competitive.”
