Not even one year has passed since the launch of Sappi Fine Paper Europe’s Fusion premium top liner in response to the increasing demand from brand owners and converters for high quality print finishing for packaging and displays. In an increasingly tough economic environment, an incessant need for and interest in creative and business-savvy ways to differentiate brands and to maximise point of sale presence have brought guests to the Sappi Alfeld mill in Germany on a fact finding mission. They want to get a better feeling for the difference that this paper can make and most importantly, its ability to stimulate the senses. Fusion, as the name implies, is a perfect marriage between the whiteness and brightness of high-quality paper with the stability of container board. The brand name merges the requirement of brand owners, retailers, and design agencies for outstanding appearance with the requirement of corrugators and converters for optimal convertibility.
A brand manager’s ultimate goal for his or her product is brand differentiation with a view to increasing brand value, brand equity and of course brand loyalty. Standing apart from competitors is therefore a priority. The digital world in which we live in has become far more interactive as a means of attracting our attention, using relevant and appealing visuals and animations to guide us to new websites and new products.
The world of print is no different. Printing processes and finishing techniques have evolved in parallel, offering increasingly creative ways to make us turn our heads and look. A walk through your local supermarket is the perfect example of this evolution, where eye-catchingpackaging and displays compete throughout the aisles to entice customers to buy brands and products.
Customers already using Fusion have delighted in the paper’s ability to reach out to the senses. The characteristics of the paper enable the creation of striking visuals that encourage handling – a first step in the brand experience. The flexibility of Fusion also allows for a variety of embellishment finishes such as a pearl effect, matt silk finishes, spot varnish, embossing, hot foil stamping..., all of which can stimulate the customer’s senses.
In addition to the extra dimension that Fusion can bring to packaging and displays, it has numerous other benefits that can be experienced throughout the production chain. These include less downtime related to washing intervals in the printing process, reduced glue consumption in the lamination process, and a choice between sheet and reel formats from the outset. A simplified pricing model where the paper is always priced the same, regardless of weight makes calculations easier, and the lighter weight of the paper itself means more sheets per stack, and reduced transport costs. By coating and calendering the paper, the Fusion surface also offers a special quality and gloss that other top lines can’t match.
The Alfeld mill event took place on Wed 25 – Thurs 26 January 2012. For further information on Fusion or the event please contact Kerstin Dietze, Sappi Fine Paper Europe – Alfeld Mill, Tel +49 518 177 266, Email Kerstin.Dietze@sappi.com.
ENDS
About Fusion (www.sappi.com > Products > Specialty Papers and Boards > Liner Applications
Benefits:
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Better colour reproduction and printability due to high brightness and whiteness
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No tearing at the edges, no cracking in the creasing area thanks to good mechanical properties
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Delivering high quality products to customers and helping them to achieve higher shelf impact thanks to superior conversion surface
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Fusion is available in reels as well as in sheets. This choice of distribution format offers maximum flexibility to customers
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Smooth performance on converting lines, significantly reduced wash-up times in print press and significantly reduced glue consumption in laminating process
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As a lightweight topliner, Fusion reduces transport, handling and storage costs
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Fusion is made from 100% virgin fibres and is suitable for the packaging of sensitive goods.
About Sappi
Sappi Fine Paper Europe is the leading European producer of coated fine paper used in premium magazines, catalogues, books and high-end print advertising. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, Sappi Fine Paper Europe is recognised for innovation and quality. Its graphic paper brands include Magno, Quatro, Royal, Galerie and GalerieArt ranges. Algro, Fusion, Leine and Parade are the brands for speciality labelling, topliner, packaging papers and boards. Top and Jaz are the paper brands for digital printing.
Sappi papers are produced in mills accredited with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification and EMAS registration for all our mills in the EU. SFPE’s mills hold chain-of-custody certification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) schemes.
Sappi Fine Paper Europe is a division of Sappi Limited (NYSE, JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 17,000 employees and manufacturing operations on four continents in 9 countries, sales offices in 50 countries, and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at www.sappi.com.
For more information
Kerstin Dietze
Marketing Manager New Business
Sappi Fine Paper Europe – Alfeld Mill
Tel +49 518 177 266
Mobile +49 (151) 538 302 66
Kerstin.Dietze@sappi.com
Marie-Ange Gérard
Marketing Communications Specialist
Sappi Fine Paper Europe
Tel: +32 2 676 97 42
marieange.gerard@sappi.com