Mondi Optimizes Portfolio in Light of Changing Customer Expectations
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The containerboard portfolio of Mondi Świecie offers enhanced options for meeting customer needs in the lightweight kraftliner and high-strength semichem fluting segments, the company announced this past week.
Mondi, Vienna, Austria, said that it continuously strives to optimize its processes and product portfolio to meet customer needs in view of changing corrugated packaging demands. "We live in a very fast-moving consumer market that constantly challenges corrugated packaging solutions. To keep our customers one step ahead in this dynamic field, we work closely together with them, constantly innovate, and modernize both our state-of-the-art paper machines and product portfolio. Our recent modernization projects at Mondi Świecie mill reflect this effort," explained Maciej Kunda, managing director, Mondi Świecie.
Describing the enhanced portfolio, he said that "we are now able to offer lightweight ProVantage Kraftliner, the high-strength s/c fluting grades ProVantage Fluting Aqua and Fresco, which both match premier European quality standards, as well as increased output of ProVantage KraftTop Liner. The Świecie mill supplies the market directly from the heart of Europe."
The ultimate test of any packaging material is its performance. Among the other criteria to be satisfied by modern packaging are an attractive appearance and the use of materials that conserve natural resources, the company reports. Mondi explains that they understand these needs, and offers its customers a comprehensive range of strong ProVantage KraftTop Liner papers that not only meet the requirements, but also accommodate an abundance of applications, including sensitive goods, and heavy duty and industrial packaging.
"The packaging remains intact while protecting the contents and enhancing their appeal, even in the most challenging conditions. The international furniture company IKEA uses our grades in transport packaging, for instance, to make sure that its products arrive at the store or customers` home intact," said Florian Stockert, sales director, Containerboard, Mondi Europe & International.
Mondi’s ProVantage KraftTop Liners are two-ply grades. The top layer consists of 100% virgin fiber, while the bottom layer contains some recycled fiber. They therefore combine the characteristics of virgin papers and recycled liners. These KraftTop Liner papers have a natural appearance, offer better technical parameters than fully recycled liners, and represent a compelling and low-cost alternative to conventional kraftliners.
In 2016 Mondi began producing its high-quality paper grade ProVantage KraftTop Liner X on the state-of-the-art ECO7 machine at Mondi Świecie. Modernization of the machine has enabled it to process virgin fibers for the first time. Alongside the new grade, ECO7 still offers the lightweight recycled containerboard grades ProVantage Fluting WB and ProVantage Testliner3.
"The modernization allows us to produce ProVantage KraftTop Liner X with a substance range of 100-135-gsm on our ultra-modern paper machine ECO7, which entered service in 2009. In addition, we have extended the range of our recycled grades ProVantage Testliner3 and ProVantage Fluting WB to include a 160-gsm variant," explained sales director Florian Stockert.
Mondi’s ProVantage Fluting Aqua and ProVantage Fluting Fresco grades now offer advanced quality to deliver substantial benefits to corrugated box producers, fruit and vegetable growers, retailers, and end-users:
- Increased strength and improved moisture profile enable the box to withstand long-distance shipping and thus ensure that fresh produce reaches the supermarket in good condition.
- Lightweight packaging offers box producers considerable raw material and transportation cost savings.
- Overall paper quality improvement thanks to enhanced technical parameters.
Pointing to the link between the improved parameters and the higher quality, Stockert explained that "by increasing the SCT (Short-span Compression Test) and CMT (Concora Medium Test) values, achieving more stable profiles, and improving both the formation of flutings and the runnability on corrugators, this investment puts Mondi on a par with Nordic producers of semi chemical flutings and will contribute significantly to our customers’ continuing success."
