Sappi Speciality Papers has introduced a new folding box board (FBB), atelier, which broadens the company’s offering of coated virgin fibre cartonboards for the packaging market.
atelier, a hybrid FBB product is available in weights from 220 gsm to 350 gsm and is being produced at the company’s Maastricht mill. The products is a multi-ply board produced on a single-wire board machine, a feature that no other paper manufacturer has ever achieved. It delivers the ultimate in brightness, purity and gloss with a silk touch and feel and unrivalled bulk, truly a new dimension in folding box board.
‘This introduction is part of Sappi’s ongoing strategy to increase its production of speciality products in response to growing market demand’, explained Thomas Kratochwill, director sales & marketing specialities.
‘Ten years ago, we entered the carton board market and set out to revolutionise it with the Sappi Algro Design family of SBB carton board, which is still growing at double-digit rates today,’ said Lars Scheidweiler, product group manager Rigid Packaging of Sappi Europe. ‘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.’
To introduce atelier properly to brand owners, converters, finishers, design agencies and the media, Sappi Europe has designed and produced a stunning sample book with the theme ‘brilliance meets function’.
‘We wanted something entirely unique that appeals to the emotions representing the innovation that went into the development of atelier and the new opportunities it offers to the packaging market,’ added Mr Scheidweiler. ‘We chose as artwork a design that produces a truly unique image on each page, much like each snowflake that nature produces is different. Each page of the sample book presents different artwork with diverse finishing techniques applied, to visually demonstrate the magnitude of possibilities this remarkable new product brings to the folding box board market.’
With a brightness level of 99% on the top side, atelier clearly exceeds the market standard in brightness compared to a current industry top value of around 92%. On the reverse side, atelier offers a brightness factor of 98% to accommodate the increasing demand for printing on both sides of the board for added impact.
