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Sappi Alfeld GmbH
Mühlenmasch 1
D-31061 Alfeld (Leine)
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Press release
Alfeld, 3March 2016
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Sappi expands corrugated card business
New range in containerboard product group now offers products and solutions for corrugated card market
Sappi is expanding its corrugated raw material product line with topliner and flutingwith a new containerboard product group Containerboard. Bernd Gelder, Product Group Manager for Containerboard, is responsible for the enlarged product group.
The product group now includes corrugated paper (fluting) and topliner. The bright white Fusion® topliner is the primary topliner product, while the cartonboardAlgro Design® and the new folding carton atelier™ can also be used as topliners. Weights from 90 g/m2 to 400 g/m2 are available. In Europe, Sappi now also offers the corrugating medium Ultraflute. The fluting was specially developed by Sappi in weights of 125g/m2 to 165g/m2 and is manufactured in South Africa for the global market.
"My goal is to establish Sappi as an attractive, long-term and innovative partner in the corrugated card industry with the Containerboard product group," says Bernd Gelder. "The trend toward high-quality yet environmentally friendly packaging solutions offers opportunities for growth for packaging converters and their brand owner clients. We help our customers to exploit these opportunities and make their products stand out from the rest of the market. Our products allow them to be visually distinct, save glue and weight, and make processing more efficient. They also benefit from our reliable service."
Austrian-born Bernd Gelder studied mechanical engineering and started his career as a trainee at speciality paper manufacturers BriglBergmeister, where he worked for many years as Product and Sales Manager. He joined Sappi in 2010 as Sales Manager for Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and the Balkan states. Prior to this, he worked at EnBW Austria, Europapier and Mondi Coatings.
Containerboard exploits synergy effects
Fusion® topliner plays a vital role in the containerboard market.Compared with other topliners available on the market, it has an outstanding surface finish. It also enablesexceptional colour brilliance with high shelf impact and an optimum look and feel for brand differentiation. Its raw material of bleached virgin fibres gives the topliner the essential advantages of high strength and flexibility, allowing lower weights to be used without sacrificing material strength. The flexibility of the fibre structure prevents cracked folds at the edges. Thanks to the functional coating on the back, glue absorption remains very constant, meaning the amount of glue required is considerably reduced. This not only saves costs and cuts drying times but also achieves a very good flatness.
Ultraflute is a new corrugatingmedium paper containing mostly virgin fibres from semi-chemical pulp and is the first choice for very high performance and post-processing requirements. Its high strength makes Ultraflute especially suitable for high-end applications, and the paper retains its shape even in damp conditions. This makes it possible to reduce flat weight significantly compared with existing corrugated board systems and also achieves synergy effects with Fusion®.Using Fusion® as the topliner and Ultraflute as the fluting, weight can be reduced while still maintaining the high strength of the corrugated card packaging.
Rising demand for Fusion®
In response to the high demand for Fusion® topliner, Sappi has started production at a second site in Ehingen in addition to the Alfeld factory. "With a 5.60-metre-wide paper machine and modern coating equipment, Ehingen has the ideal technical capabilities for the production of Fusion®,” explains Rainer Lex, Manager PQM (Process, Quality & Technology Management) at Sappi Ehingen. “Through the investments we have made, we are strengthening our special paper business and therefore also the Ehingen factory."
By expanding its special paper business to other European locations, Sappi is expanding on an existing strategy. Following the conversion of the Alfeld factory into a competence centre for special paper and board, and scaling up the production of FBB in Maastricht, Ehingen is now Sappi's third European production site for special papers and board.
Previously, Ehingen produced only high-quality matt and silk graphic papers with single to triple coatings. As a result of the production of Fusion® in Ehingen and the associated further quality development, a slightly adapted range of product weights is now offered. Instead of 130 and 140g/m2, Fusion®is now available in 135 g/m2and, for the first time, 110 g/m2. Thisoffers corrugated card processors even more options and creative possibilities.
Outlook: containerboard business set to grow
Sappi is continuing to develop the new Containerboard product group. One aspect of development is the range of supported printing processes. With digital printing set to become ever more important in the years ahead, Sappi is collaborating closely with selected digital printing machine manufacturers and is achieving good results with Fusion®across various applications.
Another new development is barrier solutions for corrugated card. The MOB liner/Leine Guard with special barrier layer (MOSH/MOAH barrier) has already undergone successful market testing as an inner liner.Watch this space for more exciting new developments in the Containerboard product family from Sappi!
Sappi_Ehingen: Ehingen millPage 1 of 5
Sappi_BerndGelder: Product Group Manager ContainerboardSappi_Lex Rainer: Manager PQM (Process, Quality & Technology Management)
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For more information, please contact:
Sappi Europe: Sappi Alfeld GmbH
- Wiebke Perrey, Marketing Communications Specialist
Tel.: +49 (0) 518177 220 – Email:
- PR contact: Jony Maesele - duomedia
Tel: +32(0)487 98 21 60 – Email:
About Sappi
Sappi Europe is the leading European producer of coated fine paper, as used for premium publications, catalogues, books and high-end print advertising. With headquarters in Brussels, Sappi Europe is known for innovation and quality. The range of graphical paper grades includes Magno™, Quatro™, Vantage™, Royal™, Galerie™ and GalerieArt™. Algro®, Leine®, Parade®, Fusion® and atelier™ are innovative brand solutions for special papers and cartons.
Sappi papers are produced in paper factories holding ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification. All factories in the European Union are registered with EMAS. Sappi's European factories have product chain certifications in line with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) and the Programmes for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™).
Sappi Europe is a division of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sappi Limited has over 12,800 employees and production sites in seven countries on three continents, sales offices in 50 countries and customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. More information on Sappi can be found at