BOSTON, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi North
America, a leading producer and supplier of a diversified range of
paper and packaging products, today expanded its leadership
offerings in the packaging market with the launch of LusterCote™, a
superior C1S paper for labels and other related end use
applications. Sappi is introducing the product to respond to a
global customer need in consumer packaged goods, setting the stage
for the future with packaging as one of its core business
segments.
Sappi's 60 years of experience in the packaging industry began
with selling paper to multi-wall bag manufacturers in the 1950s. In
1993, it introduced LusterPrint®, a grease-resistant
paper used primarily in pet food packaging. LusterPrint is
compliant with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
regulations for paper and paperboard packaging in contact with dry,
aqueous and fatty foods. It also can be used in the production of
popcorn bags and a variety of other flexible packaging
applications.
"Our long-standing experience in packaging gives us confidence
that we can meet the growing need for superior labeling papers,"
said Jennifer Miller, executive
vice-president of the coated business and chief sustainability
officer, Sappi North America. "The introduction of LusterCote is a
natural extension of Sappi's packaging line and proof of our
commitment to product innovation in response to growing customer
demand. In addition to our North American grades, the wide-range of
specialty packaging grades now available from our Alfeld mill in
Germany, such as Algro Finess,
Parade Prima and Fusion, position Sappi to meet the evolving
expectations of the North American packaging market."
LusterCote has been fully qualified by leading label converters
in the U.S. and Canada and is
produced at Sappi's Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine. It will be sold directly to
label printers and converters. LusterCote is initially available in
both 55lb and 60lb basis weights.
"We are excited about bringing product advantages to the
labeling industry that have long been associated with Sappi's
Somerset mill," said Mark Odgers, commercial director of Sappi's
Import and Packaging Business. "The excellence of our printing
surface and superior bulk and stiffness will translate into yield
and converting efficiencies and bring real value to the label
market."
Made with nearly 80 percent renewable energy and available with
SFI, FSC or PEFC chain of custody certification, LusterCote offers
key features that include excellent runnability and stiffness, as
well as superior print performance.
"Hammer Packaging is always searching for innovative suppliers
who can bring value, consistent performance, and technical
expertise to the market," said Lou
Iovoli, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Hammer
Packaging. "Our relationship with Sappi consistently delivers
performance-driven packaging solutions, enabling us to advance the
goals of our clients."
The launch of LusterCote is a key facet of Sappi's decision to
permanently expand its packaging business at a time when converters
are searching for reliable and stable providers amid a market
disrupted from recent closures, sales and mega-mergers. Sappi's
newly formed Packaging Group will be led by Odgers, a 30-year
industry veteran who recently managed M-real's North American
business.
Assisting Odgers will be Laura
Thompson, PhD, Sappi's director of Technical Marketing and
Sustainable Development, who led the development of LusterCote.
Thompson has been heavily involved in past product development for
Sappi and, previously, for MeadWestvaco. She will continue to
explore new packaging and technical specialty product
opportunities.
Sappi's new Packaging Group will be supported by a dedicated
sales team: Wayne Nablo, Sales
Manager, Sappi Europe Specialty Products; Scott Marquis, Sales Manager, LusterPrint; and,
Tom Glas, Sales Manager,
LusterCote.
About Sappi North America
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston and a subsidiary of global pulp and
paper group Sappi Limited, is the market leader in converting wood
fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The
success of our four diversified businesses – high quality Coated
Printing Papers, Specialised Cellulose, Release Papers and
Specialty Packaging – is driven by strong customer relationships,
best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services.
Our high quality Coated Printing Papers, including McCoy,
Opus, Somerset and Flo, are the
key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end
print advertising. We are the world's largest manufacturer of
Specialised Cellulose used in a wide range of products,
including textile fibers and household goods, and the world's
leading supplier of Release Papers for the automotive,
fashion and engineered films industries. Our Specialty
Packaging products, such as LusterPrint and LusterCote,
represent an important asset in the food packaging and labeling
industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational
and market expertise; products and services delivered with
consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art
and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.
Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a
global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 14,000
employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven
countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world.
Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.
For further information:
Katelyn Leonowitz
Media Relations
Sappi North America
Office: 617-912-5423
Katelyn.leonowitz@nof9.com
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110728/MM43821LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sappi-north-america-launches-new-cpg-packaging-product-300033551.html
SOURCE Sappi North America